


Shingeki no College

by universepunk



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Freckles, M/M, Shingeki no College, SnC, horse-face
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-09
Updated: 2014-11-09
Packaged: 2017-12-26 01:40:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 69,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/960077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/universepunk/pseuds/universepunk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Socially inept, Jean goes through college without dealing with anyone unless he absolutely has to. This year, he meets Marco, a friendly guy who helps him become a bit more approachable. Jean soon discovers there's more to Marco than his friendly disposition leads people to believe. Crazy nights, house parties, extreme dodgeball, and drunken make out sessions will ensue. Rated M.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Nice Guy

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin. If I did, Marco would be alive and constantly be saved by Jean and they'd be together. However, the story belongs to Hajime Isayama. I am earning nothing in writing this apart from entertainment.
> 
> This story is devoted to all Jean x Marco fans out there. We've been through so much and still have the heart to ship these two derps. You're all wonderful and you fill my life (aka my tumblr page) with goodness. With love, enjoy this first chapter, everyone.

 

It was the first day of Junior year and Jean felt himself getting nervous. He didn't know why he was nervous, since he had been attending school here at Maria University for a whole two years prior to today, but he was.

Something about the first day just made him want to keel over and melt away.

By now, he figured he would have gotten used to this kind of thing. But no, for  _three_  consecutive years he got nervous on the first day. It was lame, incredibly lame, and he knew it.

As he walked down the hallway of the science building, he wondered what the professors would do if he just went home. Probably nothing. After all, it was his money that'd be wasted if he didn't go to class.

He'd never hear the end of it if he skipped out and one of his parents caught him. God forbid they find out he did something like that…

Good old mom and dad are what made him wish this university had some dorms or something so he wouldn't have to deal with their never-ending nagging. Especially his mom's.

When he walked through the door to his earth science class, he was a bit relieved to see that it wasn't full. In fact, there were only a handful of students in the room.

Given his personality and anti-social nature, he quickly took one of the seats at the lab table all the way at the back of the classroom and pulled out his notebook. He was ready for class to begin.

The instructor was up at the front of the class scrolling away on her cell phone. It looked like she was reading something that interested her because of that gleam in her eyes.

Great. It was probably one of those teachers who cared more about what was going on outside of class rather than in it…

Jean sighed and looked at the clock on the wall up near the door.

His eyes widened when he realized class wouldn't begin for another fifteen minutes.

" _How the hell did I get here fifteen minutes early!?"_  he thought.

Well, he knew just what to do.

That snack machine he passed on his way inside the building was just calling his name. He had a few bucks to spare, considering he didn't have to pay any bills this month… apart from his phone bill, that is.

Leaving his booksack and notebook at his lab table, he got up and left out of the classroom.

…

If the freaking vending machine hadn't stolen two of his dollars, Jean would have made it back to class before the rush of students who were trying not to be late showed up. When he walked back into the classroom, with a small bag of fruit snacks, since the stupid vending machine kept saying it was out of everything else when it clearly wasn't, he saw that it was pretty much full now. The majority of the students seemed to have flocked towards the front of the class, oddly enough.

Thankfully no one had taken his seat.

In fact, the two seats to the left of his were unoccupied.

Go figure.

Of course, even when he wasn't around no one wanted to sit next to him.

As he walked down the rows, he noticed a few familiar faces in this class. Reiner, the big blonde guy in the front, and Bertholdt, the tall tan guy beside him, were two faces he rarely saw apart. It didn't surprise him that they were taking this class together. They were sitting beside that really short blonde girl who looked like she had a grudge against the world.

In the middle of the classroom was Ymir, sitting right beside Christa. Well, Christa's real name was Historia, but she got the teachers to call her Christa since they all asked the students what they preferred to be called. He only knew Ymir, and thus knew Christa, because Ymir was quite the hardass. She had a reputation around campus that said she wasn't to be fucked with, nor was the girl she was usually hanging around. And everyone heeded that unspoken order.

To his dismay, just before reaching his seat, he saw Eren Jaeger sitting in the row right in front of his own.

He and Eren did not get along.

That was the best way to describe the relationship they had without bringing up all the fights they'd had since they met last year. A total of 17, if one really had to know.

Beside Jaeger was his little companion, Armin Arlert. A studious and shockingly pretty guy who seemingly got along with everyone. How he and Jaeger were so close always astounded Jean.

If he recalled correctly, the two of them lived together with Mikasa. Though, he wasn't sure on the details. All three of them had lost their parents, at an early age. Well… Eren's father was alive, but he wasn't usually around. He was a doctor who traveled throughout the three walls of their kingdom, so it was basically like he wasn't there.

Beside Armin was Connie Springer. That kid was a dunce. The only thing he was good at was playing video games and throwing parties when his parents were out of town. Jean had never really hung out with him before, so he didn't want to say if he was a bad person or not, especially because Connie had been nice to him in the few times they'd run into each other. So he tried to be optimistic that maybe they could get along, if they needed to.

Without saying anything to Jaeger, Jean walked to his chair and took a seat. He made sure to fold his arms to give the impression that he didn't want to be fucked with today. It was specifically for Jaeger, in case he turned around.

Armin surprised him and was the first to turn and look at him. "Good morning, Jean." He said with a smile.

"Hey, Armin. Didn't realize you'd be in this class. Why aren't you in the advanced class?"

"Oh, you see, the advanced class was cut since it only consisted of a few students. It was to save money since… well, you know… Maria University isn't as privileged as Rose or Sina University."

"Hmm, that's unfortunate. Now you have to be stuck in a class with us idiots."

"I don't think of you all as idiots. You know that." The blonde boy responded sincerely.

"Just ignore him. He doesn't know anything besides how to be an ass." Jaeger said, looking over his shoulder with those annoying eyes of his.

Jean's eye twitched a few times as they stared each other down. This guy was  _already_  itching to throw down, and it was just the first day of class!

Armin looked over to his friend. "Eren…"

"Where's your body guard, Jaeger? You  _know_  she's the only reason you get out of our little scrapes with all your teeth." Jean said.

Eren turned completely around in his spinning chair. "Are you trying to start a fight? Because you  _know_  you won't win."

Jean could see Armin gulp, and he knew this was about to get serious. He recognized the signs of a fight between him and Eren by Eren's two closest friends. Armin, for the pacifist he was, would usually gulp or put his hand on his forehead disapprovingly. When she was around, Mikasa would usually stare him down until he left Eren alone.

The fact that she wasn't around to interfere had Jean ready to put this guy through a wall.

"Sorry I'm late!" someone shouted as they hurried into the classroom.

Jean looked at the person and immediately wrote him off as a nobody. He didn't know who he was, and he didn't care to find out, either.

Jaeger was literally begging for an ass kicking, so this was more important.

Just before he got up to deal with the asshole in front of him, the boy who had come in late started walking back his way.

"Is this seat taken?" the kid, who he could now see had freckles, asked innocently.

"No, you can take it." Jean replied.

The boy smiled and did just that.

Before Jean could say anything else to Jaeger, the teacher abruptly stood up and put her phone into her pocket.

"It's nice to meet you all! I'm your Earth Science professor, Hanji, Zoe! You should have seen everything you need to know in the syllabus, and I'd like to skip over it, but I'm required to read it with you all."

Jean stared at Jaeger, who had turned back to the front of the class, and grinded his teeth together. He really wanted to deal with him, but this wasn't the time or the place. The last thing he wanted was to be kicked out of class on the first day for fighting.

So after calming himself down by exhaling deeply, he turned his attention to Professor Hanji, who had just finished blazing through the syllabus.

"I'm glad that's over! Any questions?"

No one said anything. Most people were in shock by how fast this woman could read.

"Well! Then let's not waste any time, shall we? I'll get right to the notes!" the brunette professor continued, and then hurried over to the dry erase board.

Jean took this opportunity to try opening his bag of fruit snacks.

An outburst from Connie, who was playing on his PS Vita thingy under the lab table, caused him to rip the bag clean open and all his treats to fall to the floor.

"Shit… I can't have anything…" he cursed under his breath, before picking each one up off the floor and putting them on the corner of his lab table.

The boy sitting beside him noticed this and smiled. "Hey, don't worry about those. I have some, so we can share." He said to him.

Jean's eyebrow's furrowed. "Why-"

The boy pulled out a bag that was twice the size of the one Jean had and put it on the table. "I bought mine at the bookstore. They're cheaper than the ones in the machines, and you get way more. You can have as many as you want."

"…Uh… thanks…"

This was awkward. Like, incredibly awkward.

"I'm Marco, by the way. Marco Bodt." The freckled guy continued.

"Jean. Jean Kirstein." Jean replied.

Reaching out, he took a few fruit snacks from the bag lying in between him and Marco and ate them, before he started taking down the notes that Professor Hanji was writing on the board.

Even though she was explaining what she was writing, she was going a bit fast and Jean found himself screwing up a few times.

His paper was now half-full and far from neat.

After about five minutes into his note taking, Marco turned to him with a hopeless expression on his face. "What is it?" he asked the boy.

"Can… can I please copy the notes from your notebook?"

Jean raised an eyebrow in confusion. But he was smart enough to quickly realize that  _someone_  had either forgotten their glasses, or lost them, because he had seen him squinting a few times since Hanji started writing. "S-sure." He complied.

Scooting his chair over, Marco smiled. "Thank you so much! I forgot my glasses today because I was rushing to get to campus. I can see just fine without them, just so long as what I'm looking at isn't too far away haha."

"It's no problem." Jean replied, and then took more fruit snacks from Marco's bag.

His mother told him to cut back on treats, and he had tried to, but dang it, there was nothing else pleasurable he got out of coming to this low-budget university, so why not at least let his taste buds be happy?

Marco seemed much more concentrated on taking down the notes than he was about eating his own candy, but that was okay. In this moment, even though he hated to admit it, Jean was being somewhat social. He was getting friendly with someone… or… someone was getting friendly with him.

It's not that Jean had a bad personality or anything. Sure, he could be a bit disagreeable, but who wasn't from time to time? No, the thing that held him off from making friends was the recurring idea that he didn't fit in no matter where he went. And he knew that for a fact. Ever since grade school, he had trouble connecting with people. Jaeger was not the first person he'd fought with, nor would he be the last. It was just the way he was built, and he mostly blamed his father for it because he was the exact same way.

"What word is this?" Marco asked, and then pointed to it with his pen.

Jean could see that on the end, the boy had chewed away at it.

"That's 'petrology'. Sorry, I write my Rs and Ys funny…"

"No, it's okay. I don't have the best handwriting, either." The freckle-cheeked boy smiled, and slid his notebook closer to prove his point.

His handwriting was much more legible than Jean's was, that was for sure. It must have been hard for him to be all the way back here, where he couldn't see the board, and then have to take notes from pure chicken scratch…

For the few seconds that Professor Hanji erased the board to start writing again, Jean took note of Marco. Well, much closer note than he had before.

It felt like he had seen him somewhere before… maybe a long time ago. He wasn't sure. And so for now, he let it go and focused on other things about the boy.

Like, the way his face looked as he hurried to copy a few sentences from his notebook. It showed just how much effort this was for him.

At the end of class, he was still copying. So Jean decided to be nice. After all, this guy had done nothing but be friendly to him.

"You can take the notebook home with you. Just make sure to bring it back before class starts on Wednesday." He said.

Class was on a block schedule. This course was only a Monday and Wednesday course.

Marco's face lit up and his freckle-covered cheeks turned red. "Th-thank you! I'll bring it back before the end of the day!"

"Nah, you don't need to."

"But… don't you need this?"

"Nah, that notebook is for this class specifically. So you can just give it back before class Wednesday."

"Okay!"

And that was the last thing he heard from Marco before the boy got up and headed off to his next class with Jean's notebook tucked away in his booksack.

* * *

The rest of the day went by without incident. Earth Science was just an inevitable place where he had to deal with complete shit.

It actually wasn't even a part of his major, it was just required that he take it.

Annoying. That's what it was.

The university higher-ups said something along the lines of making the students "well-rounded individuals" by making them take classes that they'd never need in their field of study.

Jean was a communications major. Therefore, the class seemed pretty irrelevant to him.

Other people he had recognized in the class were also taking it as a required course in fulfilling their science credits.

Jaeger was an animation major, and went on non-stop about how he wanted to make video games. Connie was also an animation major. Armin was double majoring in history and statistics, that little genius... Reiner was here on a football scholarship, or so Jean had heard. And Bertholdt was here on a track scholarship. He was sure about that because he'd seen him at track practice on his way home last year.

Christa was a counseling major, if that's what it was called, unsurprisingly enough. Helping people and trying to make them feel better about their crappy situations seemed to be right up her alley. Then there was Ymir. She was undecided, but might as well have been a counseling major too, considering how many classes Jean had seen her taking with Christa.

There was a rumor going around that she and Christa were dating, and she encouraged it. Christa never discouraged the idea, so he assumed it was true.

As he thought about the people who were either dating, or high on everyone's  _want to date_  list on his way home, he wondered exactly what was going on between Reiner and Bertholdt. Those two were always together. _Always_.

" _Probably fucking in secret or something."_  He thought.

Then there was Marco Bodt. The friendly, somewhat soft spoken, freckles having guy he met this morning.

After getting inside his empty house and heading to his room, he put his booksack down on the floor and took a seat at his desk.

Marco…

He wondered what kind of girl would date him. He wasn't the worst looking guy at the university and he had a decent personality... The kind of guy most girls probably wished he was.

If Jean was nicer to people, maybe he would go on more dates…

" _Marco… when was the last time you hit on a girl…? And what does a nice guy like you even say to get some digits?"_

After turning on the television and pulling off his shoes and socks, Jean laid down on his bed.

"What am I thinking about  _Marco_  for?!" he asked himself, and then closed his eyes.

It was nap time.


	2. Freckles and Digits

So Jean ended up napping until the next morning. So what?

It wasn’t _that_ big a deal.

And at least he didn’t have to deal with his parents and their constant nagging…

After taking a shower and changing his clothes, he slipped out of the house and got into his car. He’d woken up just in time to get to campus before classes began. Starting his car up, he pulled out of the driveway and took off down the road.

…

Bored out of his mind in his first class of the day, where the instructor was clearly unprepared for class, Jean navigated down his facebook home page on his cell phone. He had nothing else to do at the moment, anyway. And even after not logging in for about three weeks, he had two whole notifications. Two! Which were just people inviting him to play a stupid candy smash game he had no interest in playing.

Oddly enough, a few people that he _knew_ were in class at the moment were online. There was a status update from Connie talking about some video game party he was throwing this weekend. Mina apparently just found out this morning that her dad was buying her a new car. And Christa shared a picture of a tumblr post about puppies. Those were just a few of the frivolous stories on his home page.

 _“Why do I still have this thing?”_ He asked himself.

One of the people he used to hang with in middle school made him make it, and he honestly never used it. Now, he was sitting here, seven years later, with no real reason for having this page.

Just as he was about to pass Christa’s puppy post, he noticed in the comments, most of which were a cutesy back and forth between Christa and Hannah, there was one from Marco.

It puzzled him as to why he was interested in what he had to say about this. Moreover, he was a bit surprised that Marco knew Christa.

_this is so adorable. i shouldn’t be posting on here in class haha_

_ Posted 5 minutes ago _

Jean paused.

Marco, the seemingly studious kid, was posting on facebook in class? That definitely changed his opinion of him a bit.

 _“Way to be normal.”_ He thought with a smirk.

Now, he couldn’t resist the urge to check out Marco’s page.

The add friend button was up in the corner when it loaded, but he didn’t click it. They had _just_ met yesterday. He didn’t want to seem interested or anything. Plus, he was creeping. Marco would probably ask him how he’d found him, and he’d have no decent, rep-preserving answer for him.

Marco’s interests were all over the place. His music varied from country to indie, and rock to pop with some hip hop, too. That last one didn’t surprise him. After all, what modern, suburban child _wasn’t_ listening to hip hop these days?

Interestingly enough, there were quite a few Japanese bands and artists listed as well. Utada Hikaru was high on the list, of course. Everybody loves Utada. Even Jean had to admit the woman could carry _five_ tunes in a bucket while walking a tightrope under a meteor shower.

“…”

That was a weird hypothetical description of her talent… but accurate. He’d listened to her many nights before falling asleep.

A smile found its way to Jean’s lips when he moved on to movies and saw that in the number one spot on the list was Princess Mononoke. A Miyazaki film. He enjoyed them quite a lot. The fact that Marco had it on his page said he was an okay guy. Just okay. And he hadn’t gone for the obvious Studio Ghibli film choice, Spirited Away. Not that it wasn’t amazing or anything, it’s just so good it’s hard to find people who _don’t_ like it.

Next were the photos. Yeah, he was being a major creeper now. But that was okay ‘cuz nobody would ever know about this but him.

Most of the pictures Marco was tagged in were either in class or on campus with people like Dazz, Christa, one of Armin passing by in the background and waving, and a few other faces Jean did not recognize. He only had two profile pictures. One dated back a few years ago when he was in high school, and the current one was from two months ago, over the summer. It was of him out on an open field of grass. Must’ve been out in the country, because Jean didn’t recall any areas in the city that were that vast and empty.

One picture that he saw on Marco’s page was a class photo from when he was a kid. He’d been tagged by someone he evidently went to elementary school with.

And that’s when he finally remembered where he recognized him from.

Marco.

Marco Bodt.

The two of them had gone to the same elementary school.

And what he recalled about that smiling, freckle-faced new kid was the many tears that usually streamed down his cheeks that were flushed from embarrassment.

Kids are mean, nasty little monsters. They are creatures who would gang up on anyone who was different, and that’s because they are unrefined members of society. Grown-ups do it too, just not as often, blatantly, or callously as children do.

Those freckles sprawled across Marco’s face were what he had more often than not been teased about. He was the only one at their school who happened to have them, and it was so unusual that he quickly became the center of everyone’s attention.

Jean quickly logged out of facebook when he recalled the time he’d seen Marco sitting in class during recess while he had been on his way outside from the bathroom. He’d been sitting in class, eating his lunch, and holding back his tears as best he could.

Thinking about that made Jean feel incredibly guilty. No, he had never teased Marco for having freckles, but he never stood up for him when he saw it happening.

It pained him now that he thought about it.

And he wondered how that shy, timid kid, who was always crying and hiding from everyone, could be so friendly and open now that he was older.

He couldn’t really figure out what Marco must have gone through between elementary school and college to have such a confident and friendly disposition now. But he imagined that maybe it was just that. College. Growing up and being an adult. Most people at this age didn’t care about anybody else’s appearance to the point of teasing them. Everyone here seemed far past that. And at this point in people’s lives, they’re usually comfortable in their own skin and have come to accept their faults, if not love them.

If nothing else, Jean was glad that he had seen such a beaming guy yesterday and not a guy with endless tears running down his cheeks.

The instructor finally broke down from her lack of preparation and decided to let everyone go about ten minutes early, and Jean was the first to leave the class. Now he was kind of hoping the day would go by and tomorrow would come. Just to see that smile again…

To relieve some of the guilt he felt about never sticking up for Marco, of course.

 

* * *

It had been a long day at school for Jean. He hadn’t run into anyone he recognized. Not Connie or Sasha, not Armin or Mikasa, not Marco, not even Jaeger.

Lying in his bed with his hands connected behind his head and staring out his sunroof window up at the night sky, he shook his leg while trying to falling asleep. Yes, his room had a sunroof in it. It was a mistake the construction team had made when building this house. Instead of just one in the master bathroom, they somehow ended up putting one in his room as well. But it was okay. This was always something he enjoyed about living here.

Since his light was off, he had a nice view of the stars twinkling up in the sky. And he couldn’t help but think of Marco’s face as he stared at them. They reminded him of the many freckles that graced those tan cheeks.

“What the hell is wrong with me?” he asked himself.

Jeez, lately this guy had been on his mind more than even Mikasa had been. Speaking of Mikasa, he had yet to see her this semester. But they had only been through two days so far. Surely he’d run into her sometime soon, and he would muster up the courage to ask her out again.

She turned him down every time, but he was persistent. She was beautiful, smart, attractive, and was of a different race than everyone else. She was such an intoxicating girl.

He wondered how running his hands through that unique black hair of hers would feel…

Reaching down, he unbuttoned his pants and stuck his hand into his boxer shorts, then closed his eyes as he felt himself already dripping from the thought of her moaning beneath him.

This was going to be his year, he was sure of it.

 

* * *

Wednesday morning.

Jean pulled into the school parking lot and took a minute to find a decent parking space in the crowd of cars, some of which were parked horrendously. Someone had cut him off for one that was close to the building, so after flipping them off, he took one of the spaces that was a bit further from the building.

To his surprise, he saw Marco coming over from the bus stop across the street.

“Marco!” he called after getting out of his car. He cleared his throat after he realized that he’d just yelled, and also because his voice cracked a bit.

Said boy noticed him and smiled, “Oh, good morning, Jean!” he greeted as he hurried over to Jean’s car.

“You catch the bus to campus?” Jean asked as he locked his door with his keypad.

“Mhmm. It’s no biggie, really. The ride is nice, plus I have my music.” Marco replied and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Jean felt himself growing warm all over as he recalled his little creep session on Marco’s facebook page yesterday.

“Are you okay, Jean?”

“Huh? Oh… I’m fine. Just feeling weird. Must’ve been something I ate… I… uh… I have to shit.”

“Haha, well don’t waste time. Class starts soon! Let me get your notebook for you so you can get to your poop.”

Jean watched as Marco knelt down in front of him and pulled his booksack off his back, then got his notebook out of it, “Thanks.” He said when it was given to him.

“No, thank you. I’d be lost without your notes.”

That smile found its way back to the boy’s face. Jean swallowed a mouthful of saliva and felt his palms growing a bit sweaty. He felt so guilty about how things were for this kid in elementary school.

“Jean, you’re acting weird, hah.”

“I’m not. You haven’t seen weird, trust me.”

“Well let’s get to class. Oh! I’m sorry… You have things you want to do before you go. It was rude of me to tell you to come with me.”

“No, I’m fine going now. Don’t sweat it.”

“Okay.”

* * *

Jean stopped at the door to their class and let Marco go in first. And he wondered why he did.

Something about being nice to this guy, and something about that smile he was rewarded with, it really made it worth doing.

Jaeger, Armin, nor Connie was in class. But it was pretty early. The classroom was kind of empty, apart from the early birds who wanted first and second row seats.

Jean took his usual seat and turned to Marco when he sat down beside him, “You’re not going to sit in the front?”

Marco smiled, and the sun chose that moment to shine into the classroom through the blinds. “No, I brought my glasses today.” He said, and pulled them out of his booksack.

“Oh.” The moment he said that, a rumbling in his stomach made Jean stand straight up. “I have to go… uh…”

“That’s right! You should’ve just gone to the bathroom instead of walking with me!” Marco whispered.

“I’ll be back.”

And with that said, Jean left the classroom in search of the bathroom.

* * *

When Armin and Eren entered the classroom, Marco smiled at them. He’d known Armin since freshman year, and thus, he knew Eren. Marco and Armin had been two of the top ranking freshmen who had entered this university, thanks to their SAT scores. Mikasa was up there with them too.

As juniors, those standardized test scores meant nothing to them now. Now it was all about who could get the highest GPA. Armin had him beat by .08 percent, but he was not willing to give up just yet. There were still four more semesters of college to get through.

“Good morning, Marco.” Armin greeted as he took a seat in front of said boy.

“Hi Armin.” Marco replied.

“I see you remembered your glasses. That’s good.”

“Yeah, it was tough last class. But kind of worth it.”

Eren sat down beside Armin and turned to face Marco. “Taking notes from Jean must’ve been like nails on a chalk board sounds.” He said.

“No, it wasn’t bad. And I’m glad he let me use his notebook.”

Armin put his hand on his chin in thought. “Marco, is this your first time meeting Jean?” he asked.

Said boy nodded. “Yeah.”

“I can’t believe that... We saw Jean all the time over the last two years.”

Eren decided to speak on the matter, “Well Armin, Marco doesn’t hang out with us, and Jean isn’t social or likable, so of course they wouldn’t know each other.” He said. Turning to Marco, he spoke to him with a look of amazement on his face, “Marco, I’m surprised you can stomach sitting next to Jean.”

“Eren… that’s saying too much...” The freckle-cheeked boy replied.

“Where is he, anyway?” Armin asked. “His booksack and notebook are here, but he’s not. Is he getting snacks or something?”

“No, he… saw someone he knew and went to talk to them.” Marco lied. He could already tell Eren finding out about Jean taking a poop in the bathroom wouldn’t be good for any of them.

“Someone he knew? Maybe it’s Mikasa.” Eren grinned.

Marco raised an eyebrow. “Jean knows Mikasa?”

“Knows her? Hah, that idiot asks her out almost every other week.”

Armin sighed. “He’s very determined. But she doesn’t want to go out with him.”

It was after that statement that Jean came back into the classroom. He walked past Eren, and stepped over his foot as he stuck it into the aisle to try tripping him, then took his seat beside Marco again.

“So you saw Mikasa, huh?” Eren asked.

“The fuck are you talking about, Jaeger?”

Marco bumped legs with him, and Jean looked over to him. Under their lab table, he was holding his thumb up at him.

Smart enough to realize what was going on, Jean rolled his eyes. Not at Marco, though. He was obviously covering for him. He rolled his eyes because now he had to lie about meeting Mikasa.

Or maybe not.

“It’s none of your business.” He told Eren dismissively.

“She’ll _never_ go out with you, you know.”

“Shut your dick hole, Jaeger.”

“You’re the dick sucker, Kirstein!”

“What was that?!”

“Guys, please not today…” Armin interjected.

Jean was about to get up, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. It was Marco.

“Calm down, Jean. Please.”

For a split second, he felt like punching Marco in the face for trying to stop him from kicking Jaeger’s ass. But that feeling quickly subsided when he recalled what he remembered about him yesterday. Plus, he was so damn innocent. Who could think of hurting this guy?

The tension in their section of the room was cut when Connie entered with his music blarring through his headphones. Not the ear buds, the big ones that most people wear at their computer but somehow they’re expensive, stylish, and popular now.

“Morning fellas.” Connie said as he took a seat beside Armin.

“Good morning, Connie.” Armin smiled.

“Yo.” Eren said.

“You shouldn’t have your music so loud. That’s bad for your ears.” Marco greeted.

"Thanks, mom." the short boy said jokingly.

“Hey.” Jean added. He didn’t know why, but he felt bad being the only one to not say anything.

“Oi, you guys coming to my gaming party this weekend? It’ll be a few hours after dodgeball on Friday.”

“You know I am. Gotta get in on that Halo and Call of Duty.” Eren said with a grin.

Connie stared Armin down. “I guess I can go.” The blonde boy said.

“You better! Surprisingly, you’re one of the best players we got!” Turning from Armin, Connie looked at Marco “Are you coming?” he asked him.

“Me? Well…”

“Learn to live a little! If you study all day long, you’re gonna turn into a book!”

Marco smiled. “Would that be so bad?”

“Yes, cuz nobody reads anymore.”

“I disagree, but-”

“You need to come, man.”

Jean’s eyes were glued on Marco, who was blushing from all the attention being directed towards him. Jean hadn’t been invited, so this exchange wasn't really important to him-

“Bring Jean, too. I haven’t had the chance to see what he’s got.” Connie said.

Well, that made it official, now didn’t it?

“Any girls coming to this party?” Eren asked. “Besides Mikasa, of course.”

Jean was all ears now.

“I may get Hannah and Sasha to come.” Connie replied.

“Sasha will come if there’s food.”

“I think Franz is taking Hannah out this weekend. She was posting something about it yesterday.” Armin added.

While Eren continued to speculate about what girls would come to a video game party and Connie encouraged him with suggestions, Jean turned to Marco, “You really going to go?” he asked.

“I might as well. I do go to dodgeball, and Connie will be there, so he’ll probably be expecting me to show up for his party.” Marco said.

“Well, I guess I can go with you… Do you have a ride?”

“Um… well the bus runs from school through the neighborhood Connie lives in, so yeah I do…”

“That’s lame. You need a car, Marco. How are you gonna pick up chicks with no wheels?” Jean asked. He was subtly trying to get into Marco’s business because he was still curious about how someone like him got with girls.

“Chicks? Um… well-”

“Good morning, class! Are you ready for another round of notes?” Professor Hanji energetically greeted as she entered the classroom.

She was met with a few groans and sighs, making her shake her head disapprovingly and then start ranting about how unappreciated education was among today’s youth. Even though she didn’t look much older than anyone in the room…

Jean turned from staring at her and wondering where she got her enthusiasm and energy from this so early in the morning to Marco, whose cheeks were a bit flushed.

Marco smiled. “I can take the bus. It’ll be fine.”

“No, it’s not. I’ll give you a ride. It’s one night, so don’t worry about gas or anything.”

“Jean, you don’t have to-”

“It’s over. I’m giving you a ride. Where do you live?”

Marco’s dark brown eyes moved down to his notebook. “Out in the country.”

“What’s your address, genius?”

“…Jean, my house is kind of far out. Why don’t you just pick me up from dodgeball? They’ll be starting it for the semester this Friday.”

Fridays were off days for Maria University. Thanks to budget cuts, many of the courses offered on that day were cancelled, thus blessing most of the teachers and students with a three-day weekend.

“Okay, where’s dodgeball?” Jean asked.

“We play on the old tennis courts. You know where they are, right?”

“Yeah. What time is it over?”

“Three o’clock.”

“I’ll be there waiting for you. Be looking for my car.”

If Jean was going to go to this party, he was gonna bring his A-Game. Helping Marco, who he failed to help in the past, was a nice bonus. Now was as good a time as any to make up for all the times he’d seen this guy crying where he didn’t do anything to help him.

Though, he didn’t seem to _want_ any help at the moment… Why had he been so insistent on taking the bus?

…

Towards the end of class, Professor Hanji asked a question from the notes that she’d given on Monday. Knowing in his heart that she’d go for him, Jean flipped through his previous notes, where he saw some of his spelling mistakes corrected and his lowercase I’s dotted.

Turning, he stared at Marco, who was also flipping through his notes that he had copied from him.

When, to his surprise, Professor Hanji called on someone on the other side of the classroom, Jean quietly got Marco’s attention. “Psst.”

“What is it?” Marco asked.

“Did you do this spell check to my notes?”

“Oh, yeah! I’m sorry!” the freckled boy whispered.

“…It’s fine. Just… don’t be so obnoxious about it…”

“Right. I won’t do it again.”

With her question successfully answered, Professor Hanji solemnly let the class go, saying what a shame it was that class only lasted for 95 minutes.

Jean put his things away and turned to Marco, who was now in the middle of a conversation with Armin. Not really knowing what he wanted to say to Marco, and not wanting to interrupt his conversation, he quietly stood up and decided to leave the room.

Just as he got out of the building, he heard Marco calling his name.

“Marco?” he asked, and turned with his booksack only draped over one of his shoulders.

“Jean, I meant to ask you!” the obsidian-haired boy shouted as hurried out of the building after Jean.

“Ask me what?”

“Can I… Can I have your phone number? Since we’re… you know… going to this party and all, I want to keep in touch with you.”

“I doubt it’ll be so crowded that we get lost from each other. Connie’s house is pretty big.” Jean said.

“I know, but who knows? I’d just like to have it. We’re friends now, aren’t we? Plus, we may need to study together sometime.”

The innocent look on Marco’s face and the pink tint his cheeks and ears had made Jean give in. “Okay, give me your number and I’ll send you a text.”

“Alright.”

After Jean sent the text message, Marco smiled and then sent him on his way with a pat on the shoulders, wishing him a pleasant rest of the day.

…

Just as he entered his next class, Jean felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He quickly took a seat near the back of the class, his favorite area of the room to sit, and pulled it out to read the message he’d gotten.

Marco Bodt:

_thanks for your number. ill see u friday. oh, and by the way, i dont date chicks._

Jean’s eyes widened. He held his phone in his hands and tried to think of how to respond to that. Before he could come up with anything, he got another message.

_theyre birds after all :P_

After shaking his head, Jean closed Marco’s message and prepared himself for class.

At the end of his school day when he was getting into his car, something hit him.

“Wait a minute… Marco… did you… did you work your game on _me_ to get _my_ number…?” he asked aloud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your interest everyone, and the kudos/comments/bookmarks are all lovely.
> 
> Don't forget to share this story with your fellow Jean x Marco lovers!


	3. We're Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good gosh, chapter 50 of the manga was just so... it was just wow.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the latest chapter in this story everyone.

Friday morning.

Jean slowly opened his eyes and looked through his sunroof to see that the sun had just found its way into the sky. Looking over to his clock, he could see it was eight.

"Shit…" he cursed, and then tossed his sheets back.

During school, Fridays were the only time Jean got to sleep late. However, something about today was different. There was a party going on later this evening.

But it was  _later this evening_. Was he really so excited about the likelihood of Mikasa being there that he woke up this early?

Pulling his phone from under his pillow, he saw that he had a text from Marco:

_Morning Jean. I'm still okay taking the bus if you don't want to go with me._

So, on Fridays he could use capital letters in his messages?

After hitting the reply button on his screen, Jean decided to send a quick response:

_I'm taking you stop trying to get out of it_

Once it had sent, he tossed his phone onto his pillow and got up. He needed to shower and decide what he was going to wear. He didn't often get invited anywhere, so this was reasonably new to him. Then again, it was  _just_  a video game party. There was no need to go too dressed up and seem weird.

* * *

"Good morning, Jean."

"Hey mom." Said man replied as he stepped out of the bathroom. He was carrying his towel, pajamas, and toothbrush under his arm.

"Are you going somewhere today?" his mother asked, noting his unusual Friday attire.

"Yeah. I'll be back soon, though."

"Make sure to clean your bathroom. Guests come here and use that one, and it's always a mess. And they  _always_  come when you haven't cleaned."

Jean rolled his eyes. "Right."

"Oh, and take out the garbage and take the dog for a walk, too."

"Okay."

Quickly, Jean went into his room and closed his door.

"Oh, and Jean, don't forget to-"

"I can't stay here all morning, mom! I'll do what you told me, then finish everything else later!"

"Jean, don't raise your voice!"

Said man scratched his head and tossed everything he was holding under his arm onto his bed. His phone vibrated.

Marco had texted him:

_I'm not._

_You better not. I'm not going if you're not_  he replied.

_We don't have to stay long if u don't want to._

_To kick Jaeger's ass at everything, I'll stay all night if I have to_

_Lol_

_What time does dodgeball start?_

_One o'clock._

_I'll be there early_

_Okay. U could play if u want. It's open to everyone._

_Nah, I'll pass_

_Are u scared? lol_

_Not scared, just don't wanna play_

_Alrighty. I'll see u soon, then._

Jean put his phone into his pocket and then decided to get some of his annoying chores out of the way. God forbid he not do them and then come home late. His mother would have a hissy fit, and his father would just sit there reading his newspaper.

"Fuck me…" he mumbled, before leaving his room.

* * *

2:43 pm.

With an irritated expression on his face, Jean drove around the university campus in search of the old tennis courts. He told Marco he knew where they were, but now he wasn't so sure anymore.

After pulling over to one of the empty parking lots, he pulled out his phone and called Marco.

"Shit… he probably won't answer…" he said after realizing he was probably in-game without his phone on his person.

" _Hello?"_

"Marco?"

" _Polo."_

"Funny. Listen, Marco, I have a question for you."

" _Shoot."_

Jean was glad they were on the phone so the unbelievable redness of his cheeks was hidden from the world. "Yeah, where are the tennis courts? I've driven all around, but I can't find them."

" _Oh, just go down the main road in front of the university, then make the first right. Keep straight down and you'll reach them."_

"Right. Thanks."

" _No problemo."_

"You're Hispanic now, Marco? You could totally pass for one, you know."

" _What? No, I'm not."_  he heard the boy laugh after he said that.

"So what are you doing answering your phone, anyway? Aren't you playing dodgeball?"

" _Oh, I got out. I was holding my own for a while, but then Erwin stepped in and Levi and his friends came. We were no match for them."_

Jean shook his head. While he didn't even realize it, he was smiling. Smiling because deep down, he felt like this was nice. It was nice having a friend, or something close to it. He hadn't really joked nor done anything similar to this with anyone in a long time.

"I see the tennis courts." He said as he drove down the street Marco had told him to go down.

When he pulled up into one of the parking spaces, he almost dropped his phone from what he was seeing.

Marco noticed him and smiled and waved. "Heeeey!" he shouted.

After turning his car off, Jean opened his door, stood up, and then leaned forward on it to watch his fellow students, and teachers, in Erwin, Levi, and his friends' case, playing dodgeball.

But what was so different about it was the  _equipment_  they were using.

It was like some old gear they were all wearing around their waists that allowed them to achieve flight for seconds on end. And none of the people playing were even in the courts. They were all flying around in the air off near some of the old school buildings.

Marco stepped off of the tennis court and walked over to Jean. "You're pretty early."

"I said I was coming early, right?"

"Oh, yeah, haha."

"What's that around your waist?"

After looking down, Marco smiled. "It was Erwin's idea. He came across some old Maneuver Gear that his father used to have, so he decided to use it for  _EXTREME_  dodgeball."

"That's crazy…"

"It's  _EXTREME_  dodgeball, Jean."

Jean shook his head and looked around the court at the other people standing around and watching, who were also wearing this Gear. "Are they out? Why are they standing on the court?" he asked.

"The court is home base. We wait here until someone catches a ball, then whoever is next in line goes in to help them. All this came along this year when Erwin decided to use this Maneuver Gear to play."

As he looked around at the people waiting, Jean noticed Sasha Blause, Armin, and Connie all standing and waiting as well.

"Hey look! It's Jean!" Connie shouted.

Everyone turned and then looked at him. Marco took him by the arm and walked him onto the court.

"You came to play? You're a little late…" the shortest of the group said.

"I didn't come here to play, Connie." Jean replied. "I came to pick Marco up for your party."

"Eren! Look out!" Mikasa's voice echoed from atop of one of the buildings.

A ball flew past her while she was distracted, and she whipped around to see Ymir using her Maneuver Gear to get away. Jean's eyes were glued to her as she sent her anchor out and caught hold of another building, then flew off after Ymir.

"… Jean… Earth to Jean." Marco's voice came in his ear.

"Huh?! W-what…?"

"We can probably go. The game's about to be over and none of us are going to get caught in. It's only the best out there now."

Jaeger was considered one of the best? That was a shock.

"Yeah. Let's go."

"I'll see you two at my place." Connie said.

"Be careful not to run into any potholes!" Sasha called out to them after Marco had shed his gear and he and Jean were over at Jean's car.

"I won't run into any potholes." Jean said. He waved, then unlocked the doors to his car and got inside. Marco opened the door and got in on the passenger's side.

When the two of them were on the road, with the radio playing low in the background, Jean noticed something.

"Hey, were you going to change your clothes or take a shower or anything?" he asked.

"Well, I had planned on it… but now I'm being forcibly taken by you, so I can't."

"Do you want me to drive out to your place. We still have an hour or so until the party starts."

"Nah, I-"

"I can do it. Gas isn't an issue."

"Jean… it's fine. I mean it." Marco said, now looking him in the eyes.

Jean turned his attention back to the road before speaking again, "How about I take you to my place and you can shower there? You can borrow some of my clothes since we seem like the same size."

"That sounds fine. Thanks."

Whatever it was Marco didn't want Jean to know about, he'd find out tonight for sure when he dropped him off. It was like he didn't have a house or something.

* * *

With the radio still playing quietly, he said nothing else to Marco for the rest of their trip to his house.

Slipping inside his house to find his parents gone was like a breath of fresh air for Jean. He walked back outside and got Marco, then brought him into his house.

When they got to his room, he walked over to his closet and then went through the same process he had earlier for himself. It was difficult to find something that looked nice, but was also casual at the same time. He wasn't one to go out often, so he usually just dressed in a t-shirt and some random shorts. Whatever was clean.

Once he found something he thought would look good on Marco, he handed it to him.

The shirt he picked was light green with a white collar, white on the ends of the sleeves, and the logo of a computer company on it. The shorts were khaki cargo and a little worn, but still nice. The hems on them were frayed, but that made them look cool to wear.

"The bathroom is right across the hall and there are clean towels in the cabinet in there." He said.

"Thanks."

And with that, Marco walked out of the room.

When he heard the water in the shower come on, Jean took a seat on his bed and pulled out his phone. He then saw that he had a new message:

_Hey this is Connie. If u have an extra XBOX controller feel free to bring it. I got ur number from Marco btw_

"…Way to force me into making friends…" he mumbled, even though he knew Marco couldn't hear him over the running water in the shower.

 _Yeah, I'll bring one._  He replied

_Cool. And thanks for bringing Marco. I know he doesn't have much fun out where he lives, so I wanted him to come. And I heard u were a bit of a gamer so I just packaged u 2 together._

'A bit of a gamer' was a bit of an understatement. Jean played video games religiously. It was the only thing that got him through being at home with his parents, going to college, and working a crap job on the weekends. Maybe going to this party wouldn't be so bad… When he thought about Connie, he imagined they could be friends one day.

"Jean! Can you come help me!? The water won't turn off!" Marco shouted.

Of course the shower would choose now to do that thing where it never shuts off.

"I'm coming!" Jean said.

He quickly left his room and grabbed the bathroom door handle. It was locked.

"Marco, unlock the door!"

"I'm not dressed!"

"We're both guys! Just put the towel over yourself or something! I need to get under the counter in there!"

The door unlocked and then opened, revealing Marco with a towel around his waist and a blush on his cheeks.

Jean entered the bathroom and then knelt in front of the cabinet. He opened it, pulled out a wrench, and then turned to the bathtub. Just before he got up, he subtly took note of Marco's unclothed torso. On his shoulders, it seemed he had a few freckles here and there. He had a nearly unnoticeable amount of stomach hair that turned into his happy trail. And oddly enough, the tiny love handles he had, Jean admitted were kind of cute. Not really though. But they were…

Inwardly shaking his head, Jean got up and walked over to the bathtub. He turned the faucet off and then headed out of the bathroom to the basement, where he could turn the water off in the house.

…

"I'm sorry about the tub." Marco said while sitting on the foot of Jean's bed and dressed in his clothes.

"It's not your fault. This house is just crazy." Jean replied. It really was no big deal. This happened at least twice a week, so he was used to dealing with it.

"…By the way, your sunroof is cool. Must be fun to be able to look through it at night when the stars are out."

"Uh… yeah…"

"So, is that what you're wearing to the party?"

After looking his outfit over, twice, Jean blushed a bit. "Wh-what's wrong with what I have on?" he asked defensively.

"Nothing. It's fine."

"Well if it's so fine then why are you asking me about it?!"

"I was just curious. But you really do look fine, Jean." Marco smiled.

Unable to truly be upset with Marco while he flashed that innocent and shining smile, Jean rubbed his neck and then went over to his door, making sure to grab his XBOX controller as he did. "Let's get going or we'll be late."

"Okay."

* * *

"So how many parties do you go to?" Jean asked as he came to a stop at a red light.

"Not many. Actually, the last time I went to a party was in middle school. It was one of those ones where everyone gathers in a room and plays spin the bottle. I didn't even get picked. Then again, I'm sure nobody wanted to kiss me, haha."

Through the corner of his eye, Jean looked at Marco. He could see that he was using a fake smile to conceal what must have been a somewhat painful memory.

"It's cool. Nobody wants to kiss me, either. But I guess you do okay now that you're older, huh?" he said.

"It's complicated…"

"Complicated?" Jean asked, and turned to Marco.

"Yeah…"

"What does that mean-"

The person in the car behind Jean blew their horn angrily, making him realize the light was now green. After pulling off, he sighed. He would probably never figure out what was going on with this guy… unless he just came out and asked, but that would be rude. And although Jean was all for being labeled rude and unpleasant, for some reason, he didn't want that from Marco. This was the first person he actually had been able to establish a friendship with, after all.

The rest of the car ride was quiet apart from the crappy radio music that Jean had on so things wouldn't be awkward.

When he turned down Connie's street, he slowed down a bit because he didn't exactly remember which house was his. The only thing he knew was it was big… just like the rest of the houses in this neighborhood.

Marco leaned forward, "Is that Eren in that driveway?" he asked while squinting.

"Wear your glasses, dude…"

"I can tell that's Eren!" the freckled-boy said defensively.

"Yeah, sitting on the phone in the middle of the driveway, like an asshole."

Jean pulled into Connie's driveway and stared Eren down. Eren rolled his eye, but got up and walked inside the house. He looked very comfortable with his bare feet.

At first, Jean was ready to kick his ass. But then he remembered that Mikasa was probably here. If he wanted a shot with her, beating up Jaeger was not the right way to go about it.

There were already a few cars in the driveway. Thomas Wagner's car was up front, meaning he'd gotten here first. He probably brought Nic and Milius, too.

Then there was Jaeger's car. How that asshole managed to get a nicer set of wheels than Jean always confused him. Then again, his father was a doctor. Maybe he was sending him money or something. Plus there was that Hannes guy who helped them out when they needed it.

If Jaeger was here, Armin was probably here as well. And of course Mikasa was here. She went almost everywhere with Eren. And that's the main reason Jean decided to come.

"Thanks for bringing me." Marco said as he opened his door and got out.

Jean also got out, then when both doors were closed, he locked his car with his keypad.

Marco started up the driveway and he followed. He wanted to stick close to him because, one, it was through Marco that he was invited, and two, he didn't want to be standing around all alone. This was a party, not school, where being alone was perfectly acceptable.

Dazz was in the kitchen eating when they walked in, and he greeted Marco first. Jean waved casually at him, then continued following Marco through Connie's house.

"Jean, Marco! You two came!" Armin, who was sitting on the couch, said with a smile as they entered the living room.

Jean almost didn't reply as he was in the midst of fainting at the size of the television mounted on Connie's wall. It was  _at least_  72 inches.

Milius was sitting in the dining room and doing something on his phone.

"They better've come, or I would have caused a scene in class on Monday." Connie said.

He, along with Thomas and Nic, were in the middle of playing a round of Halo, and Connie was winning. There was a fourth player, but he was just standing there. It must have been Eren's character.

Speaking of Eren, he finally chose to come inside.

"You guys better not have killed me to up your numbers!" he shouted as he jumped over the couch and took a seat on the floor.

"We'd never do that!" Thomas said as he tossed a grenade down to the level Eren's character was on.

"Thomas, you jerk!"

Jean tuned out of the banter that followed, and then subtly started looking for Mikasa. She had to be here. Eren was here.

"You guys don't have to stand up." Connie said. "Sit on the couch or something."

Marco did just that and sat down beside Armin. Jean took a seat beside him.

"Are you looking for someone?" the blonde boy asked Jean quietly.

Marco turned to find out the answer. He'd become recently aware of Jean's interest in Mikasa, after all.

"N-no." Jean muttered.

Just then the back door flew open, causing everyone to turn around.

It was Sasha. She ran into the house with bags of groceries under her arms and quickly put them down onto the counter in the kitchen.

Connie grinned. "There you are. I was wondering when you two would get back."

"We were held up because Sasha wanted to buy the entire store out of potatoes. Most of the snacks we bought were chips."

Jean's heart skipped a beat when he heard Mikasa's voice coming from the back hallway. When she entered the kitchen, she was holding a few bags and looked a bit overwhelmed.

"Mi-Mikasa! Let me help you!" he insisted, then got up.

"That's the last of the groceries, so there's no need. But thank you, Jean." The girl replied.

Connie paused the game and looked around. "You guys up for food right now?"

"I am!" Sasha shouted and raised her hand high.

"Sure." Eren said, then got up.

Everyone followed his example and went into the kitchen.

When it was discovered that the girls had bought ice cream, there was an immediate, excited uproar in the kitchen. Quickly, Connie went over to the cabinets and grabbed some bowls, but put them on the counter angrily when he saw that Thomas and Eren had started eating out of the ice cream with his mom's large cooking spoons.

Marco and Armin got bowls for everyone, but Jean declined one when it was offered to him. Instead, he had his eyes on another sweet prize he was after.

Mikasa pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and then headed outside. It seemed like she was about to talk to someone, but when he slipped out of the kitchen and looked out Connie's back window, he saw her just sitting there and texting on it.

Was she texting Eren? That'd be weird… unless she wanted to tell him something private…

Stepping outside casually, and acting like he didn't know Mikasa had left the house, Jean feigned surprise and walked over to her.

"H-hey Mikasa. What's down… on… I mean, what's going on?" He said, stumbling over his words like an excited child.

Said girl looked up from her phone and smiled. "Hey Jean." She stated.

"Mikasa…" Jean began, and then took a seat beside her, "You're into video games?"

"Not really. But Eren and Armin are here, so I came with them. It's nice going out."

"…You… you know I think you're one of a kind, right?"

"Yes."

"I… I really would like to take you out sometime. You know, maybe see a movie or something."

"Jean-"

"There they are!" Connie shouted as he nearly fell out of his house from the back door, with Marco and Armin on his tail. "Jean, get your ass in here so we can get back to the game!"

Jean's eyebrows were furrowed. "But I wasn't even playing!"

"So what?! You're getting in next round for the loser, and Eren is down by a landslide!" Connie continued.

"And there's ice cream!" Marco added, holding on to his bowl of strawberry ice cream.

"Mikasa, aren't you bored out here?" Armin asked.

"I'm fine." Mikasa replied.

With a promise to be inside in a few minutes, Jean managed to get the three boys off his back.

Just before he went back inside, Marco noticed how close Jean was sitting to her and realized he was probably asking her out again.  _"G-good luck, Jean…."_  He thought, and then followed Connie and Armin back into the house.

"Do you think he's going to ask Mikasa out again?" Armin whispered to Marco when he sat down beside him. He didn't want Eren finding out because he'd probably run outside and make a big deal about it.

"I don't know. He seemed like he wanted to be alone with her by the way he pretty much shooed us off."

"Marco, how do you feel about it?"

"Me? … I want Jean to be happy. If he can be happy with Mikasa, then that's what's best. He's my friend, after all. I wanna see him succeed."

"Jean?" Armin said.

Jean walked into the kitchen and leaned on the counter. The look on his face was a forlorn one.

Marco got up and went over to him. "What did she say?"

"Huh?"

"Mikasa. You asked her out, right?" he whispered while leaning in.

"How'd you know I was…?"

"I'm not stupid, Jean. Did she say yes?"

"No… she turned me down again… I can't make her see that I just want to make her happy. I… I really like her, you know?"

Marco got a bowl and then made Jean some ice cream. He offered it to him, and waited for the few seconds in which Jean decided he would eat it. "It'll make you feel better."

"Yeah right."

"Wanna talk about it? We can go sit outside in the front yard."

"Sure…" Jean said, looking down at the scoops of ice cream in his bowl.

* * *

"So basically, she turns me down just as much as Eren picks fucking fights with me." Jean said, and then put his last spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

"Jean, I can tell you've liked Mikasa for a long time… but maybe it's time to give her a break."

"Huh? What the hell are you saying?"

Marco looked down to the grass. "Well, think about it. It's fine from your end, since you like her, but how do you think she feels about constantly being asked out? I imagine she's a little annoyed…"

"She never puts off that kind of vibe when I ask her out!"

"…But Jean, she doesn't often put out vibes at all… apart from 'leave Eren alone', that is. I'm just saying-"

"You don't know anything…"

"…I know more than you think. I definitely know what it's like to have feelings for someone and know they'll never feel the same about you. But the difference between you and me is that I don't admit those feelings. I keep them inside where they won't do any damage. But you… you have more courage than I do. And I admire that. But if you really do care about Mikasa, you should think about this all from her perspective. That's all I'm saying. I'm not belittling you, and I'm not saying your feelings aren't valid."

"…"

Marco reached out and took Jean's hand into his own. He jumped when Jean pulled away quickly. "I'm sorry if I hurt you…"

"You didn't hurt me. It takes a lot to penetrate this thick skin."

"You know, Jean, somewhere out there, there's probably someone who likes you just the way you are. I know it sounds cliché, but it's true."

"Are you breaking up with me, Marco?"

Said boy's cheeks went red. "Wh-what?!"

"I was joking. Jeez…"

"R-right!" Marco said, and then felt himself growing warm. His heart started racing for a moment, but he didn't let Jean see his panic.

"Let's go back in. I bet Connie's looking for us." Jean said, then stood up and held out his hand.

Marco took it and used the support offered to him to stand.

"…"

"You were right, by the way. The ice cream helped a lot."

* * *

Connie's party went by fairly quickly, and ended late, with a lot of people saying they had to go home. It was about one o'clock in the morning.

Connie looked like he was set to stay up for another five hours, but he did realize he didn't have room to house everyone for the night. While Sasha and Dazz slept on the couches in the living room, Thomas, Nic and Milius left together because Thomas backed around everyone's cars in the driveway, Mikasa and Eren went outside with Eren carrying a sleeping Armin on his back, and Jean went out to his car with Marco.

As he waited for Mikasa to move her car, he felt a little better now that he had talked to Marco. And he decided that he would give her a break. While he hated to admit it, Marco was right. It must have been annoying for her to be constantly having to turn him down.

When she pulled out of the driveway and waited, Jean realized she was waiting for Eren, meaning he had to move his car.

Just as he started his car up, Eren came over to his window and tapped it with his index finger.

"What?" Jean asked, and then rolled his window down a bit.

"You did pretty well against Connie today. Even I had trouble beating him. Nice work, dude." Marco's eyes were wide, but not as wide as Jean's were. "Close your mouth, Kirstein. Oh wait, you're used to having it open like that, aren't you?" Eren asked, and then left to go to his car.

"Fuck you, Jaeger!" Jean shouted out his window, before he pulled out of the driveway. After waving to Mikasa, he sped off down the street.

"Jean, slow down!" Marco shouted, holding on to the seat belt with a death grip.

"You don't like me going fast?"

"No, because I like living!"

"Alright, alright." Jean said, and then slowed down a bit. "So how do I get to your place?"

"You'll have to take the road that leads to Wall Rose for about ten miles, then there will be a turnoff that leads to my neighborhood." Marco replied.

Ten miles? That was a ways out… It was a wonder Wall Maria had the funding to run the bus out to Marco's place. Then again, there had to be some transportation between the town near Rose's entrance and Maria's, which is where Jean lived. Marco must have lived towards the center at a halfway point. But it was unlikely the bus took him into his neighborhood.

"Jean, look out!" Marco shouted abruptly, startling Jean.

When his front right tire ran into a pothole, Jean's eyes went wide. He quickly hit the brake and he gripped his steering wheel, the only thing he could do in this situation.

His car ended up jumping the curb, and he knew his tire was flat.

"Shit!" he shouted, and then looked over to Marco. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Marco nodded, holding on to his seat belt and breathing heavily.

After getting out and observing the damage, Jean realized he wouldn't be able to drive Marco home. In fact, getting to his house was pretty much out of the question.

While he knelt beside his front right tire, Marco got out of the car and wiped his eye. "Jean, I'm so sorry… This happened because you were taking me home-"

"No good deed goes unpunished, Marco. This isn't your fault."

"…What are we going to do?"

"Do you have someone you could call to come pick you up?"

Marco put his hands in his pockets before responding, "No… my mom doesn't have much gas and my dad's in Wall Sina on business."

"…I guess you'll have to come home with me tonight, then. No homo."

"…Jean…"

"Don't make any excuses. You don't have anywhere to stay tonight, right?"

"Right..."

"Then you're coming home with me. My dad and I will come back out here tomorrow to change my tire. I don't have a jack, so I can't do it now." Jean said. He stood up and walked over to Marco. "Can you stand over there out of the way? I need to get my car off the road."

"Alright."

When Marco was out of his way, Jean got into his car and slowly drove off the road.

After getting out of his car and locking it up, he went back over to Marco, who was standing with his hands behind his back nervously.

He put his hand on the freckled boy's shoulder and smiled at him. "Don't worry about this. It'll be taken care of in the morning, and then I'll take you home. So c'mon."

"Okay… Thank you, Jean."

"It's no problem. We're friends, remember?"

Marco's eyes lit up a bit and he returned Jean's smile. "Yeah." He replied.


	4. Blush

"What do you think about the stars?" Marco asked, looking up at them as he and Jean walked in the night air, heading to Jean's house.

Jean looked up at them and shrugged. "I don't know. They're cool, that's for sure."

"I always wonder if they're another star, like the sun, lighting another solar system. Or something like that. I mean, it's amazing that we can see them from so far away, and they're usually in the same spot, too."

"Aren't they just balls of gas?" Jean asked. He'd heard somewhere that that's what they were.

"I think so. But have a little imagination!" the freckled-boy countered with a smile, and nudged Jean's arm with his elbow.

"I've got all the imagination I need."

"Is this your street?"

"Yeah."

Although he was trying to seem cool and collected on the outside, inside, Jean was fretting a bit. His parents were probably at home. Hopefully they were asleep. But if they weren't, they'd probably be curious about why he was bringing a boy home in the first place, especially at this hour.

A boy like Marco at that…

From the corner of his eyes, Jean observed Marco. He was definitely a little odd. The guy was too cheerful, too studious, too nice, too caring… That question that was in the back of his mind found its way to the main room and thrashed about like a bullet in a bank vault.

Was Marco gay?

How weird would that be? And how would that affect his image, being seen with him?

Well, even if he was, he was still cooler than Jaeger. And he was fun to be around, and to joke with.

For now, he put that question out of his mind because the two of them had reached his house. The last thing he needed was something like that being suspected. He wasn't usually very good at hiding things, after all.

When he got to his front door, he unlocked it and then opened it a bit. Sticking his head inside, he could see nothing out of the ordinary, and neither of his parents were in the living room or dining room. From the kitchen he could see the light over the stove was on. It was the dimmest light in the house, and his mom always left it on so she could see when she got up late at night.

Thankfully, nobody was awake. Not even the dog, it seemed.

"C'mon." he whispered to Marco.

The two of them crept through the house, Jean on his tiptoes for some reason, until they reached his bedroom.

Snuggles, his mom's Pomeranian, was asleep in the washing room. Hopefully he stayed that way. That dog barked if a fly flew by him.

Jean opened his bedroom door and let Marco go into the room first, then entered after him. He closed it quietly, then locked it to make sure he wasn't disturbed. It would be more compelling an argument to say that Marco dropped by for a visit tomorrow morning than it would him spending the night.

Speaking of which, Jean realized he didn't really have anywhere for Marco to sleep. The guest room was currently a study for his father, and the attic was cluttered with holiday decorations. There was barely room up there for anyone to walk around.

Marco was now sitting on the bed with his hands together, looking nervous.

Making him sleep on the floor seemed like a mean thing to do, so Jean made his decision. "I'm gonna sleep on the floor and you can have the bed." He said.

"What? You shouldn't have to-"

"It's cool. And it's only for one night. I'd sleep on the couch, but I don't want my parents asking me why I am."

"Jean, I'm sorry about your car… and tonight… it's been one big disaster."

Said man shook his head and turned on his TV. "I told you it was fine. And…" after picking up his remaining XBOX controller, since he left his other one in his car, Jean took a seat on the floor at the foot of his bed, "thanks for letting me talk to you about the whole Mikasa thing. I'm sorry for snapping at you the way I did. You didn't deserve it."

When Jean turned to him, Marco blushed and put his hand up defensively. "It's okay, really! You were just trying to cope, and I guess that's your way of doing it."

"You saying I have anger issues?" Jean asked teasingly.

"N-no, I-"

"I'm kidding, Marco. You should know me by now."

"Right."

After turning on his XBOX, Jean selected Final Fantasy XIII and waited as it loaded.

"I didn't know you liked Final Fantasy." Marco commented, pulling his legs up and sitting Indian style at the foot of the bed.

"I fucking hate this game."

"Then… why are you playing it?"

"To beat it, of course. I don't want to give up halfway through and be a quitter. If I'm gonna hate it, I'm gonna hate it now and after I had the patience to beat it."

The title music came on, and Marco smiled. "It's got very pretty music." He said.

"Yeah but that doesn't make up for the story."

"I only played up to ten, so I don't know much about this game. But it took everything I had to complete the ones I did at a hundred percent. At least they teach noble life lessons, hah."

"Yeah, these games are very time-consuming and frustrating to beat."

"But the graphics in this one are amazing." Marco said when the game loaded and Jean started walking around with Lightning.

"Still, it doesn't make up for the confusing story."

…

About forty minutes into Jean's gameplay, Marco found himself growing a bit tired. Jean told him to go to sleep, and immediately regretted it when the boy commented on the sweet scent coming from underneath the blankets.

His eyes grew wide when he turned around and spotted what was now in Marco's hand.

"A sock?" the freckled-boy asked. "This is what smells so sweet?"

Jean quickly jumped up onto the bed and grabbed for the sock when Marco put it close to his nose. He didn't get it though, because Marco lifted it higher in the air so he couldn't.

"Give that to me, Marco." He said, his cheeks incredibly hot. He crawled over the boy, but a hand on his chest kept him from being able to reach it.

"Is this… Jean, are you firing your boys into this thing?" Marco asked.

"Yes, now give it here!" Jean whispered irritatedly.

"Haha it smells kinda sweet, you know."

When Marco gave it to him, Jean quickly got off the bed and shoved the garment into his dirty clothes hamper.

"You don't have to sleep on the bed if the smell bothers you." He said once he sat back down and his back was to Marco.

"It's okay. I actually like the smell."

Jean closed his eyes for a second and swallowed a mouthful of saliva before he looked down to the carpet. His cheeks were warm, incredibly warm. He tried to ignore that statement, but it was so weird. What guy likes the scent of another guy's…  _stuff_?

"Marco…"

"Yeah?" said boy replied, now under the sheets and curled up comfortably in them.

"Are you…" Jean paused and took a breath. The thought of this, the possibility of the answer he'd get, it made his heart race with confusion and nervousness. "Are you gay?" he asked.

There, it was out in the open now.

Silence filled the room, apart from the music playing from the game that was. It occurred to him that if Marco wasn't gay, this would put a damper on their friendship. He couldn't think of a straight guy who would like being suspected of that.

"Yeah, I am." was Marco's response.

"…Oh…"

"If that's a problem… We don't have to be friends or hang out anymore…"

Jean's eyes went wide and he felt a pain tugging at his heart.

He didn't know what to say, but he didn't want to lose Marco over something so stupid. Why had he said that in the first place?

No, he knew the reason.

It's so completely impossible for gay men and straight men to hang out, isn't it? At least, that's how he perceived it. How many friends had he lost once they found out? How many times had he been abandoned because of this secret?

That statement made Jean feel incredibly guilty. Did he really think something like that would make him stop talking to him forever?

Turning, he saw Marco sitting up as if he was prepared to leave if necessary.

"Marco, I don't care if you are." He said honestly.

Not Marco. It could be anyone else but Marco. He just couldn't lose him. He had to be there for him, support him, protect him, to make up for all the times he didn't back when they were kids. It was foolish, he knew it was, but he didn't care. This was Marco.  _Marco_. Someone he had fun with, and teased, and could talk to. Even if he was gay, it didn't matter.

He was a friend.

"You can lay down, I'm not kicking you out or anything."

Marco nodded and then curled back up in the blankets.

It was quiet now. Really quiet. Not even the game or the low hum of the air conditioner made things any better.

Shit, now things were awkward.

* * *

At some point a bit later that night, Marco fell asleep, curled up in the "sweet" smell he enjoyed. Jean eventually got tired of being killed by the Behemoth creatures, so he turned the game off and then got some blankets from his closet so he could make a spot on the floor.

Once he had, he laid down with his hands behind his head and sighed. Although he didn't want it to, Marco's confession changed things more than a little.

…

The next morning.

Marco woke up and yawned, then stretched his limbs out until they cracked. He had slept very comfortably in Jean's bed, and sat up to thank him for letting him stay the night.

Jean was gone, though.

He could see the door was locked, meaning he had locked him in this morning when he left.

A little nervous, he looked up through the sun roof at the sun and the clouds in the sky. Jean had said his sexuality wasn't a problem, but did he really mean that?

The sound of the door unlocking made him look to it quickly. When it opened and Jean walked in with a black t-shirt and pair of gray jeans on, he felt a little relieved.

"Oh, you're up?" Jean asked.

"Yeah, I just woke up."

"I hope you slept well."

"I did, thanks Jean."

"No problem. By the way, me and my dad were able to go change my tire. I can take you home now."

"Okay."

Jean walked over to the blankets he'd left on the floor and picked them up. After putting them into his closet, he turned to Marco and put his hands into his pockets. "My mom went out shopping and my dad went to the hardware store to get some stuff to fix the tub. There's some breakfast in the kitchen if you're hungry."

"Are you leaving?" Marco asked. From the way he was talking, it seemed like he was.

"No, I'm going to take a shower. My dad made me change the oil in my car after we fixed the tire."

"Oh, okay."

"I washed your clothes for you, by the way. They're on top of the dryer if you wanna change."

Without another word, Jean picked out some clean clothes and then left the room to head for his parent's bathroom.

Marco pulled the sheets back and got off the bed, then tidied it up before he left the room as well. His clothes from yesterday were clean, just like Jean had said, and they smelled very nice too.

After changing into them, he headed to the kitchen where breakfast was said to be. He stopped, though, when a Pomeranian came out of nowhere and started barking at him.

With a smile he bent down and held his hand out. It just needed to recognize him by his scent to not be so apprehensive. When it sniffed his hand and then licked it, he petted it gently.

"That's a good boy." He said, and then checked to make sure it was a boy.

"OH MY GOD! WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE!?"

Marco looked up to see a woman standing with bags in her arms and a horrified look on her face. She had light brown hair and a light complexion. It had to be Jean's mother.

"Oh, good morning! I'm Marco, Jean's friend." He said, and then stood up.

"Jean's friend?"

"That's right!"

Jean's mother walked over to him and inspected him, looking him over suspiciously. "Really now…?"

"We just met this semester." Marco said nervously.

"Well, how does someone as nice as you end up being friends with Jean?"

"Eh heh heh…" the freckled-boy scratched the back of his head and blushed.

"Mom, leave him alone." Jean said as he came out from the hallway.

"Jean, you haven't had a friend come over in a long time. Should I make you a cake to celebrate?"

"Mom…"

"I'm kidding, darling." the woman said, and then walked into the kitchen and put the groceries down on the island. "How long will you be hanging out for, Marco?" she asked.

"Oh, well I'm going home in a few."

"Didn't you just get here?"

"He just needed to pick something up." Jean answered.

"Okay, well, any friend of Jean's is welcome here." His mom said, and then left the kitchen, asking Jean to put away the groceries before she was gone.

"Hey, make sure to get something to eat before we go." Jean said to Marco. Then after rolling his eyes, he started putting the groceries away.

"Kay."

…

Sitting in his car with the door open and one of his legs out, Jean waited for Marco to come out of the house. After eating breakfast, the boy had insisted on washing his dishes.

"C'mon Marco." He said, shaking his leg impatiently.

His mom may not have been able to tell Marco was gay, but his dad would probably see it the moment he met him. So he wanted to take him home before his dad got back.

And just like that, Marco came out of the house, apologizing for taking so long.

"It's fine. Let's just get on the road." Jean said.

Marco quickly got into the car and put on his seatbelt.

Jean started the car and then pulled out of his driveway.

Thankfully his dad didn't get home before he could get out of the neighborhood.

…

Taking the road that led to the next town near Wall Rose was something Jean didn't usually get to do. In fact, he hadn't traveled this road since he was a kid. A lot had changed. There were noticeably a few stores and supermarkets along the way.

Looking over, he saw Marco looking out the window and enjoying the scenery. The sun was beaming down on him through the window, and he wondered what it'd be like to ride with them down.

When he put them down, Marco turned to him.

"I just thought the breeze would be nice." He said.

And it was… although his hair kept blowing in his eyes. It was time for a haircut.

Their trip was about thirty minutes long, filled with songs that, oddly enough, went perfectly with the mood the open country brought. Marco started singing that song The A Team when it came on. Jean couldn't help but smile a little.

"It's too cooooold outside for angels to fly." he sang, a little off key.

"You know, that'd be a good winter song." Jean commented.

"I know. I'm pretty excited about winter, and I don't even know why."

"Oi, this your neighborhood?"

There was a very large neighborhood coming up, and it was full of big houses.

"Yeah."

"You-you live in one of those giant houses?"

"Mhmm."

"How can you afford it? Not to be rude or anything…"

"My family is a family of horse breeders, and we also have a farm, too."

"…I did not know that about you." Jean said, and then turned down the street that led into the neighborhood.

"My house is all the way at the end of the street."

When they reached it, Jean slowly stopped and took in its size.

"It may seem like I'm rich, but I'm far from it, actually. There's a lot of expenses my family has to cover, and I'm also in college… which is very expensive. Even Maria University was barely in price range for me."

"Marco, it's cool. Just 'cuz you have a big house doesn't change my perception of you."

Marco put his hand on the door handle, but before he opened the door, he turned to Jean. "Does me being gay change it?"

"N-no. I told you that doesn't matter to me. You're still my friend."

"O-okay."

"I'll see you next week. Take it easy, Marco." Jean said when the boy got out and headed to his front door.

"Right. You too, Jean. And thank you for everything." Marco replied with a smile.

Once Marco was inside his house, and waved at him, Jean turned around and headed back the way he'd entered the neighborhood from. And now he knew for sure that Marco wasn't hiding anything.

Maybe he thought he was burdening Jean by having him bring him home.

But judging from how far the bus stop was from his house, Jean realized he couldn't just let Marco continue to take the bus in the morning…

* * *

Monday. Lunch time.

Sitting alone at a table off in the corner of the cafeteria, Jean took a bite out of his burger and rolled his eyes as some students walked by outside and stared at him.

" _Can't a guy eat alone without looking like a fucking loser? Damn. Maybe I like being alone 'cuz I hate people."_  He thought, picking up some fries from his plate.

After stuffing them into his mouth, he pulled his drink closer and then drank from the straw.

He'd gotten here early to avoid the lunch rush, when like a thousand students poured into the cafeteria. Unfortunately, time got away from him as he sat alone, and that's exactly what happened.

Now it was even worse that he was eating alone because everyone would be looking at him, not just passing sorority girls on their way to go shower together and brush each others' hair, or whatever it was they did.

Since he decided to look down at his plate, he didn't notice Marco when he came into the cafeteria.

Consequently, he was surprised when a pair of tennis shoes and pants came into his peripheral.

Looking up, he was met with a smiling, freckle-cheeked smile.

"Marco?"

"Hey Jean."

"What are you doing here?"

"Eating lunch. You're not eating with anyone?"

"Nah." Jean said, trying to look cool.

"Mind if I sit here?" Marco asked, putting his hand on the chair beside Jean.

"Yes, I do."

"O-oh."

"I'm kidding, dude. Take a seat. I wanted to talk to you."

Marco took his booksack off and put it on the back of the chair, then sat down in it. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, I wanted to tell you something."

"What's that?"

Jean reached down and picked up his glass, then drank from it, before he spoke, "I'm going to be bringing you to and from school from now on."

"What?!"

"Do you need me to repeat that?"

"Jean, why-"

"Cuz we're friends, and friends help each other, right?"

"You don't have to do so much for me. Why do you keep going out of your way for me?"

"…Marco… I was there in elem-"

"Hey, it's Marco and Jean!"

Jean and Marco turned and saw Connie and Sasha coming their way with drinks and plates of food in their hands.

"Mind if we sit here?" the shorter asked.

Before either of them could respond, the duo took the two empty seats at the table and then started talking as if it were normal. Jean was a little upset, because he was about to come clean to Marco, but it seemed he had to wait for that.

"So I was watching Thomas the Train this morning-"

"Connie, why doesn't that surprise me?" Jean asked, being slightly insulting because he was upset. It wasn't everyday he had the urge to do what he almost did.

"Don't go there, Jean. It just so happened to come on and it was on in the background as I was eating breakfast." Marco and Sasha were still paying attention to him, so Connie continued, "As I was saying, I happened to be watching Thomas the Train this morning, and I had this realization that that show is freaking awful."

"Welcome to the club." Marco said, and then grinned.

"No, but I mean because that show is centered around trains, and those trains can only follow a path that's already been laid for them. There's no room for aberrants. That's gotta be some kinda living hell. I mean, imagine if we were all that way. Marco, you wouldn't like ding dongs, Jean, you'd be more social, and Sasha, you'd eat a lot less. We'd be the us that someone wants us to be, and not be true to ourselves."

Marco blushed, Jean rolled his eyes, and Sasha picked up a few of her fries in slow motion before she slowly put them into her mouth.

"Connie, did you really just center a life lesson… well, what you probably consider a life lesson… around a kid's show?" Jean asked after there was a moment of silence in the group.

"Yup. I can do that cuz I'm just that smart."

"…"

Silence ensued once more, and Connie started eating his food as if he hadn't slightly offended anyone.

"Anyway, that's not what I wanna talk about anymore. You guys know I'm throwing a Halloween party this year, right?"

"That's like, a month away Connie." Marco said.

"It's gonna be epic though, so I'm preparing for it now."

Jean raised an eyebrow. "Are your parents going out or something?"

"That's right. They'll be gone for the entire last week of October. You guys are welcome to come over when I throw this bad boy." The boy replied.

"I'll keep that in mind." Jean said.

"So you guys liking this semester so far?" Connie asked, changing the subject again.

He was a random fellow, Jean mentally noted.

"I like every semester!" Sasha smiled, "Well, except that one where I had to take that math course…"

"What about you Jean?"

"It's only been a week, dude. But… I guess it hasn't been so bad." Said man replied, and then looked at Marco.

"I've been having a good semester so far." Marco admitted, making sure to throw a smile Jean's way.

"Hey, I gotta get going." Jean said, "Marco, text me when you get out of class so I can take you home."

"Okay."

Connie and Sasha stayed quiet and watched as Jean got up and patted Marco on the back, then waved at everyone before he left.

Once he was gone, Connie cleared his throat. "So Marco, you like Jean?"

Cheeks going red immediately, Marco looked down and picked up his drink, then drank from it to maybe mask his nervousness.

Sasha stared at him, but Connie continued talking. "If I was gay, I'd be into that. Anti-social, moderately attractive, doesn't give a damn about anything, angry all the time… though he seems to have a soft spot for you…" He said.

"He's… he's just a friend!"

"Your cheeks are so red I feel like I'm looking at a tomato." Sasha commented, then giggled.

"Admit it, you like Jean, don't you?" Connie ordered.

"I… He's… he's straight."

"So? I feel like you could flip him if you wanted to."

"Connie…"

"He's taking you home now, right? What reason do you think he'd have for doing that?"

"He just wants to be nice."

Sasha got into a thinking pose. "Think about it, Connie. Maybe Jean just wants to make a friend. Sometimes bein' alone is… well just plain lonely."

"Speaking of lonely, you know who's never lonely?"

"Who?"

"Reiner."

"Oh, right! He's always with Bertholdt, isn't he?"

Marco stayed quiet while the two started gossiping, thankful the attention was no longer centered on him.

"Yeah, they've known each other forever, but get this…"

"What?"

"I think they're doing it in secret."

"Maybe they're just bros… Good pals, ya know?"

"No way."

"Bertholdt likes Annie."

"He does?"

"Armin told me last semester when we had that school meeting about keeping the campus clean."

"Oh… well there goes that theory. Still, something about their friendship seems… weird."

"Hey guys, I gotta go. I have homework to do, so I'm gonna sit in the library 'til my next class." Marco interrupted.

"Alrighty. Have a good day, Marco." Sasha said genuinely.

"Yeah, and don't deny it if you feel it, man." Connie added.

With red cheeks, Marco got up and took his dishes to the dish return.

Sure, he thought Jean was attractive, and being around him was fun, but that didn't mean he  _liked_  him, did it?

His phone vibrated in his pocket, so he pulled it out and saw that Jean had texted him.

_Our friends are weird_

After looking over to the two animated characters in the corner, bathed in sunlight, he smiled.

_Yeah, but they're ours :)_


	5. Unstoppable Tears

And so, three weeks passed where Jean fell into a healthy schedule of picking Marco up in the mornings, and dropping him off after classes were over. It was nice. Incredibly nice. It also became predictable. Something to look forward to…  _kind of_ … And for once, he felt at ease having someone at his side so often.

The two of them even started doing more things together, like eating lunch with Connie, Sasha, and the occasional addition, like Armin or Christa. Occasionally, they wound up studying together after class in the library.

The day is Wednesday. The time is just after Earth Science.

"I don't want to look." Marco said, holding a test paper against his chest nervously as he and Jean stood in the hallway with other students passing them by.

They had taken the test on Monday, and Professor Hanji had returned their tests just before class had ended.

"Shit… I got a seventy-two." Jean mumbled, looking down at his own paper that was stained with red marks and comments.

Cautiously, Marco pulled his own paper away from his chest and looked at it. "A ninety-six…"

"Hey, be happy about that! It could've been a lot worse!"

Lifting his first paper, Marco's eyebrows rose when he saw the red X marks. "I missed two multiple choice questions?! Gosh, how could I have been so stupid…?"

Jean reached over and snatched the test out of Marco's hand. "Let's switch grades then. I'd happily take a ninety-six."

Marco took his paper back and sighed. "I guess I'll get a hundred next time." He said. "Jean, you should study with me a bit more for these tests so you can do better."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"You'd better! I want you to do well!"

"Oi, I've gotta get to my next class. I'll text you later."

"Right. Me too. Have a good day, Jean."

"You too, Marco."

With a wave, Jean parted ways with his freckle-cheeked friend.

Marco watched him as he went, and blushed when his eyes found their way down to Jean's ass. Shaking his head, he put his test paper into his booksack, and then headed to his next class.

* * *

"Don't forget class, if you're going to do the critique for A Doll's House, Friday is the last day to see the play in the theater." The professor with a slight gut said, before heading over to his computer.

Seated in the middle of his theater class, Marco looked around as some of the other students started making plans to see the play together. Although he was friendly, he was also shy. He didn't know any of these people, so he wasn't exactly comfortable just inviting himself to join any of them.

His dark brown eyes found their way to the large blonde guy Reiner and his tall friend Bertholdt were sitting a few rows over.

"Bertholdt, we should go together." Reiner said.

"Yeah. Do you think Annie would want to come?" the taller man asked.

"Do you really need to ask that?"

"…"

"It'll be just you and me, though. Should be fun."

"Right."

"Wanna go Friday?"

"Sure. I get out from practice early that day."

"Good, maybe we could… uh… never mind."

Marco tuned out of their conversation and then sighed. Then he realized something.

Pulling out his phone, he opened his messages from Jean and decided to ask him if he'd want to go.

 _Wanna go with me to the play on Friday?_  he asked.

_A play?_

_Yeah, I can go alone if you can't._

_I'll go. I'm not doing anything that day, anyway._

_Great! : )_

_How much are tickets?_

_Free for students._

_That's convenient._

_I know!_

_And what time is it?_

_Around 7._

_Hey, I just realized. Why are you texting in class?_

_Cuz class is almost over. I'll meet you at your car in a few._

_Okay._

Marco made to put his phone away, but when it vibrated, he stopped and opened Jean's new message.

_Btw, I'll play dodgeball with you, and we can just change at my house for teh play._

_*the_

With a big smile, Marco sent his reply,  _You're gonna have so much fun!_

_I hope so…_

* * *

Friday before dodgeball.

With the windows down and the music playing, Jean drove himself and Marco to campus to reach the tennis courts. Marco was sitting with his arm rested on the door and smiling as the wind blew through his short, obsidian-colored hair. He was very excited that Jean was practically spending the day with him today.

"Oi, Marco… I've been meaning to ask you."

"Hm?" said boy asked, turning to his friend.

"Did you take the bus to campus just to go to dodgeball before I started driving you? There's no class on Friday, so…"

"Y-yeah. But I told you it wasn't a big deal."

"That's crazy…"

"Dodgeball is crazy. Crazy and fun."

"So your parents don't want to buy you a car?"

"They would if they had the money to. I'm getting most of my financial aid from my grades, and my SAT score got me a big discount, but they still need to pay for the remaining expenses.  _Plus_  they put a roof over my head and food in my stomach. That's all I get from them. Besides, I have three younger siblings."

"So you do all the work on the farm?"

"Oh, no. There's six older than me, haha. Though, three of them live in Wall Rose. Everyone who lives here does work around the farm."

"Wait, your parents had ten kids?!"

"Mhmm."

"…Are you the only… you know…?"

"The only gay one? Yeah. At least, I think so. And I really keep it to myself. I didn't get much attention, so I guess that's why neither of my parents cared about my sexuality… Besides, they already have seven grandkids."

Jean couldn't tell if that was a good or a bad thing, Marco being neglected the way he claimed to be. Everyone needs some attention. Being one of ten must've been tough for him growing up, and even now. But even so, his personality was so warm and inviting. Maybe things weren't  _so_  bad for him…

"Are you okay, Jean?" Marco asked, interrupting Jean's train of thought.

"Yeah, I'm cool."

"Hey look, there are only a few people here today."

Jean pulled up in the parking lot across the street from the tennis courts, and noticed that the only people there were Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Erwin, Levi, and his four friends.

Armin was the first to notice them and waved. "You guys made it!" he said with a smile.

"Mhmm!" Marco hurried onto the court, where he started talking to Armin about an assignment they must have had in another class.

"Erwin, maybe we should start. I only have time for one or two games…" Levi commented, looking a bit bored.

"I guess you're right. Anyone else who comes can join in the next game." The blonde man said.

When he went over to start putting on his gear, Jean noticed Marco watching him closely. He was a bit curious about what one man could see in another, so he also watched Erwin. However, he turned away when the man lifted his shirt, revealing his lower stomach, to adjust the belt of his Maneuver Gear.

"Are you new?" one of Levi's little groupies asked as she came up to Jean. It was the girl with bright orange-ish blonde hair.

"Well, only to playing dodgeball. I've been at this university for three years."

"Oh! How nice. I'm glad you decided to join us!" she said. "I'm Petra, by the way."

"The name's Jean." Jean replied somewhat awkwardly, trying to seem uninterested by looking off with heavy lidded eyes. If things with Mikasa weren't going anywhere, this short woman seemed like a nice enough person to go out with.

"Oi, gaki! Don't be hittin' on Petra!"

Said woman turned and made a shooing motion. "Oluo, leave him alone! You'll make it so he never wants to come back!"

"He's just jealous." The guy with golden blonde hair that was tied back said as he and a shorter brunette guy also came over. "I'm Erd, by the way. And this is Gunther." He told Jean.

Gunther folded his arms and smirked. "Oluo, why don't you just admit that you-"

"Leave me alone!" Oluo shouted defensively.

Jean watched with a very confused look on his face as the four of them started bickering, more the guys than Petra, of course. She was obviously the most level-headed of the group.

"Look what you started." Eren's voice came from behind him.

"Not today, Jaeger."

"Can't help but stir up chaos whenever you show your horse-face."

"Jaeger-"

"How does such a nice guy like Marco end up being your best friend?"

"Hey, you are literally begging me to- wait, what?"

Mikasa came over and put her hand on Eren's shoulder. Eren turned and raised an eyebrow at her. "The game is about to begin. Let's line up against the fence." She said. "Hello, Jean."

"Right." Eren mumbled.

"Jean, come over here so you can put your gear on!" Marco shouted, waving both his arms in the air from beside Armin.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Jean did as he was told.

When he came up in front of Marco, he took his hands out and then took the gear from his friend.

"H-huh, how do I…?"

Obviously struggling to get it on right, Marco got closer to him and then helped him. When he knelt in front of him, Jean blushed and turned away. It was then that he saw Eren stick his tongue against the inside of his cheek, implying something very inappropriate.

"There!" Marco said with a smile, and then stood up. "Now let's get on the fence so we can start!"

"Yeah."

After seeing everyone ready, Erwin began his countdown from five.

Jean quickly took note of the balls on the court, and then he looked around curiously when he noticed how few there were. "Where are all the other balls?" he asked.

"Scattered over the old school buildings. Probably on the rooftops." Armin answered. "Be careful since you're a beginner."

"I'll be fine."

Marco shook his head, and then when Erwin shouted out for everyone to go, he quickly dashed to the other side of the court.

Jean watched as Marco sent his anchor off to one of the buildings, and then flew over to it.

He was a bit nervous about doing it, but if Marco, Armin, and even Connie were able to do it, then he could, too.

Everyone else seemed to be more comfortable playing off-court, he noticed. And after about a minute, he looked around and noticed that he was the only person still with his feet on the ground.

Most of the others he couldn't even see anymore.

The four friends of Levi were all going after Levi, who was dodging their balls like he could see them coming before they even threw them. That guy was a beast.

Mikasa was standing like a stone statue atop one of the buildings, seeming to be waiting for something. Like she knew something was coming… It was probably not a good idea to go near her.

Picking up a red ball off the ground, Jean decided to join everyone over on the older campus buildings. Awkwardly, he sent his anchor off to one of the buildings, and then reeled himself over to it. He failed to reach the top, though, and ended up dropping his ball as he tried reaching for the rooftop.

Armin grabbed his hand and helped him up just as he nearly fell to the ground below.

"Jean, are you okay?" the blonde boy asked, and then struggled to pull him up.

When he got onto the rooftop, said man dusted himself off. "I'm fine. Thanks."

Looking around to the other buildings, he saw that this part of campus was larger than he initially thought it was. The entire area spanned about four or five blocks. He wondered how the university managed to muster up the money to make the newer buildings that most of the students used.

"I'm coming for you, Eren!" Erwin's powerful voice rang like thunder from the building to the right of Jean and Armin.

"That's not fair! Go after Levi! You guys always end up the last two in the game!" Eren replied, and then made to move further away from Erwin, who was now going for him.

Just as Erwin let his rear guard down, Mikasa threw her ball at the blonde man and hit him right on the arm.

Erwin quickly turned and stared at her with a shocked expression on his face. But as rules dictated, he was out now, and had to go wait on the court for someone to catch him in on their team.

Eren took that chance to duck off, because he saw Levi coming for Mikasa.

Jean watched in awe as he emerged behind the short man and managed to take him out with a head shot.

Eren was actually pretty good.

"You did it, Eren!" Armin shouted.

"Don't get too comfy around Kirstein!" Eren replied.

Jean flipped him off, but Armin smiled and shook his head. His blue eyes went wide and that smile vanished when he noticed something, though.

"What's… what's that?" he asked.

"Huh?" Jean said.

"…There's someone over there with the gear on, but their face is hidden by that cloak…"

Indeed, there was someone standing on a rooftop with a dark green cloak on and the hood up to hide their face. Something about them seemed ominous, dangerous even. They were facing the group with their hands bawled up, as if they had a grudge against the world.

Oluo, Erd, Petra, and Gunther noticed the person, and made to catch them.

But like magic, whoever it was disappeared when the group got close.

Gunther looked around, and then spotted them off on a tree branch near the park that was just off campus. "There!" he shouted.

Like a bird, he soared with his gear towards the person, but when he got close, they jumped onto his line, and then ran along it as if they were weightless, heading right for him. From under the large, green cloak, the person pulled out a ball, and then slammed it into the back of his head. It all happened so fast that Gunther ended up colliding face first with the tree and then fell to the ground.

"Gunther-san!" Eren shouted from his faraway spot on a roof.

Being the two closest to the person who had attacked Gunther, Erd and Petra quickly made their way towards them.

"Damn you! How dare you do that to Gunther! Come at me and I'll take you down!"

Jean was shocked when he heard Petra say that. She obviously wasn't as sweet and collected when she came under emotional pressure.

Erd was faster than Petra was, and he charged the person, who slid just out of his reach, and then grabbed hold of his line. Like a key ring being spun on someone's finger, they moved along it, using their hand to do so, and then let their foot collide with his ribcage, as if meaning to snap him in half. Then, after sending him to the ground below, they threw a ball down at him.

"Errrrrdoo!" Petra shouted with tears in her eyes, her cry echoing in the air.

Oluo could see Petra was in danger, so he quickly tried reaching her to stop her from engaging this mystery person.

However, there was no stopping her.

She tossed her ball to the ground, ready to use force to take this person down. Sending her anchor into the building ahead, she readied a fighting pose since her collision with this person would happen in less than five seconds.

When they were in close proximity, she threw her fist out, but missed when they slipped out of her range.

"H-how!? There was no way I could have missed!" she shouted.

Like a pro, the person used their gear to turn around and then speed up on Petra's backside.

"Petra! Behind you! Get over here to me! Petra! Nooooow!" Oluo shouted desperately.

He watched helplessly as the person used both their feet to slam Petra into the building, and then gritted his teeth as she slid to the ground and was hit with a ball mockingly.

Eren's enraged shout rang through the area, and he used all the speed his gear would allow to try reaching the scene.

Calming himself as the person seemed too satisfied with their victory over his friends, Oluo sent both his anchors out and caught the cloak on either side. Then, he sped over to the person.

"Take this!" he said, preparing to slam his fist into the back of their head.

Jean and Armin watched as the person, who seemed utterly caught, used the gear to rip the ends of their cloak, and got out of Oluo's line of fire.

"Let's go!" Jean shouted to Armin, and then hurried off when he saw Mikasa going to catch up to Eren.

Armin nodded and promptly followed after Jean.

From a kick to the back, Oluo was sent flying a few meters until he landed and slid on some grass, just barely missing the concrete.

Eren was the last person to reach the person, but before he could do anything, a backhanded blow from whoever it was sent him flying in the opposite direction and landing in a bush.

"Mikasa!" Armin shouted when he saw her reach the cloaked figure.

Jean was worried for her, but when he noticed something on the ground from the corner of his eye, he was distracted by it and consequently slammed into the building.

Armin called out to her as well, but he was conflicted about who to help because he saw Jean hit the building.

Jean picked himself up and ran around the building he crashed into, falling down from how nervous he was and getting up again. Heart racing incredibly fast, he stopped when he came across Marco lying on his back on the ground with his chin facing the sky. It was enough to make his heart feel as if it was no longer beating.

"Marco!" he exclaimed, and then hurried over to the boy. When he reached him, he knelt and shook him by the arm. "Oi, Marco! Get up!" he shouted, shaking a bit from fear. He was getting no response whatsoever from Marco. On closer inspection, he saw that there was a bruise on the right side of his head, and his gear was also missing. "MARCO!" he shouted again.

The sight of him hurt and unconscious left nothing but fear in Jean's mind. He'd failed to protect him again, this time when it counted the most.

"M-Marco, please! What happened?!"

Worst case scenario, Marco had fallen from one of the buildings and seriously hurt himself. Whoever that person was that had just taken down Levi's friends had obviously done this to him.

Taking the boy's head into his shaking hands, Jean pulled him close and grabbed his obsidian-colored hair in between his fingers. He could feel the guilt eating away at him.

For him, this was Hell.

"SOMEBODY!" he cried out, hoping Armin or Mikasa or even Eren would come to help him with Marco.

Eyes watering, he closed them and buried his nose in the boy's hair. Taking deep breaths through gritted teeth, Jean tried imagining what he would do if Marco didn't wake up. Then he grew angry at the person who had caused this. What the hell was the point of them doing this anyway?

"J-Jean… you're hurting me…" Marco's voice sounded faintly and somewhat femininely.

Opening his eyes and pulling back a bit, said man let his tears run down his face uncontrollably when Marco came to.

"Marco!"

"Jean…"

Still holding Marco protectively, Jean jumped when he saw a shadow coming down from the rooftop.

"What happened?!"

It was Armin. He used his Maneuver Gear to hurry down to Jean and Marco, and then gasped when he saw the bruise on the side of Marco's head.

"Armin…" Jean mumbled. He didn't even care that there were tears still running down his cheeks. All that mattered was that Marco was okay.

"Mikasa almost managed to catch that person, but they got away."

Marco jumped and felt his heart start racing when Jean got close to him. "Jean…"

"Marco seems to have been the first to encounter that person… The others are okay, too. But they have a lot of injuries from the looks of it."

"Where are Erwin and Levi?" Jean asked.

"They didn't know what was going on because they were on the court, and Professor Hanji arrived to talk to them. But now they're helping the others. I think they'll need to go to the hospital."

Looking down at Marco, Jean decided he'd take him as well. "Marco, I'll take you there-"

"N-no. I'm fine." Said boy assured Jean, and then sat up while holding the side of his head.

"Marco-"

"I mean it… I'll be okay. I was only hit in the head."

"I'm going to go and let the others know you're both okay." Armin said, before he used his gear to get up to the rooftop. "Can you take care of Marco?" he asked Jean.

"Yeah! I'll get him home! You make sure Mikasa, Jaeger, and the others are taken care of!" Jean replied.

"Kay!"

With a heavy sigh of relief, Jean wiped his eyes and tried to pretend like he wasn't upset or frightened… or previously crying… He had to be strong in front of Marco.

"Thank you for helping me…" Marco said as he and Jean made their way to his car.

After helping his freckle-cheeked friend into the car when they reached it, Jean inwardly thanked the gods that he was okay. "It's no problem. I'm just glad you're okay." He replied.

"… I swear I don't even really know what happened. It's just black…"

"Do you need to go home?" Jean asked as he took off his Maneuver Gear and put it in the back of Erwin's truck.

"Well, I brought my clothes with me to change into for the play-"

"That doesn't mean anything. I'm taking you home."

"No, I need to go… It's for a grade, and tonight's the last showing."

"Gah… So you're going?"

"Yeah. Do you not want to go? I can take the-"

"I'm going." Jean insisted, and then started his car.

There was no way he wasn't going.


	6. Soft Lips

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update, everyone! Enjoy the chapter!

 

"Oh, you brought your friend back!? I wasn’t expecting to see him again!” Jean’s mother said with a pleasantly surprised look on her face when Marco and her son entered the house.

“Hi, Ms. Kirstein.” Marco greeted.

“Goodness! What happened to you!?” she shouted when she saw the bump on the side of the boy’s head. “Did Jean hit you?! Jean! What have I told you about-”

“No, no! You’ve got it all wrong! He’s been helping me! Something bad happened at dodgeball today, and he offered to take me to the hospital and everything!”

“Oh dear!” the woman said, and then walked over and put her hand on the bump.

“Mom, he’s okay.” Jean said as he walked through the living and dining rooms, heading to his own room.

“Jean, help this boy! Clean his injury up for him!”

Rolling his eyes, said man headed into the hallway. “Come with me, Marco.” He said.

“K-kay!”

“Be more careful, dear!” Jean’s mother said to Marco as he followed Jean. “Oh, and by the way Jean, your dad and I are carving pumpkins with the Hepburns tomorrow! You’re welcome to join us!”

Stepping into the bathroom and flipping the light switch, then closing the door when Marco entered, Jean sighed. He knew that was coming. By “welcome to join us”, she meant “you need to get out on the weekends and be social with the kids who’ll be there who are all half your age”.

Marco walked over to the toilet, let the lid down, and then took a seat on it.

Jean was reminded that he was supposed to take care of that wound, so he went over to the medicine cabinet and took out some peroxide, cotton balls, and Neosporin. He didn’t really know what to do for a bump on the head, so he figured just cleaning it would be okay.

After kneeling in front of Marco, he uncapped the peroxide and then put one of the cotton balls on top of it. Turning the bottle over, he let some of it leak onto the fluffy ball, then put the peroxide on the counter beside his freckled friend.

“This may sting a little.” He said almost apologetically.

“I know, you goose. I’ve used peroxide before.”

Not too pleased with Marco’s response, Jean lifted the cotton ball and started rubbing it against the bump in the boy’s hair.

Marco closed his eyes and breathed in through gritted teeth from the sting he was warned about.

“Told you.” Jean mumbled, as he continued his ministrations. He felt a little guilty causing his friend pain, but it was necessary to help him heal.

“I’m sorry, Jean…” Marco opened his eyes and said when Jean stopped using the cotton ball on him. Tears were threatening to fall from his eyes and he knew it.

“Huh? What are you sorry for?” said man asked as he put some Neosporin onto the other cotton ball he’d gotten.

“Well, this was your first dodgeball game, and it was completely ruined…”

“ _That’s_ what you’re sorry about? It’s okay, let me assure you.” Jean said, and then looked back up at the other. His eyes went wide when he saw a tear run down Marco’s cheek. “Oi, Marco- don’t- I told you it was okay!”

“B-but you were crying!” Marco said.

“I was not!”

“Jean-”

“… _Fine_! I was! But you wanna know why I was crying? I was mad ‘cuz I couldn’t protect you… and scared that… shit…”

Marco inhaled and held his breath for a second, “…What?”

“Marco, seeing you on the ground like that… I didn’t know… I just didn’t know anything… And I hate that I wasn’t there for you to help you. Whoever did that to you needs a fucking knife through the heart.”

Missing the hidden meaning behind Jean’s frustration, Marco allowed the shame of that moment fall on his shoulders because he wasn’t able to defend himself, yet again.

“But anyway, you’re okay now. You wanna go check on everyone after the play is over?”

After nodding, Marco brought one of his hands up and wiped his eyes. “Yeah.”

“Okay.”

Feeling his stomach churn when Jean smiled up at him, Marco blushed. He opened his arms and held them out, wanting nothing more than to hug him.

Jean looked down to the floor, having some reservations about what was being offered, but leaned in and hugged Marco anyway. When Marco fell forward onto him, causing them both to fall to the floor, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Thank you for your help, Jean.”

“Any time, Marco.”

* * *

Lying on his bed and flipping through the channels to try finding something good to watch, Jean waited for Marco to change into the clothes he’d brought with him for the play.

Did people really need to dress up for plays?

He didn’t think about it until now, but it’d probably be a good idea for him to put something on to look nice as well.

Damn Marco for making him want to look appropriate.

Getting up, he walked over to his closet and slid his clothes that were on hangers until he came across one of his dress shirts. It was dark blue, and looked nice enough to wear, so he pulled it out and decided to wear it.

There was no need for him to look like he was going to a wedding or a ball, so he decided on a pair of dark blue jeans for his bottoms.

After taking his clothes that he’d worn to dodgeball off, he put them into his dirty clothes hamper and then took his shirt off the hanger.

When he heard his door open, he jumped and quickly covered himself, even though he was still perfectly covered in his underwear.

Marco’s eyes went wide when he saw a half-naked Jean, who was glowing red in the face and standing in front of the closet, staring at him with a horrified look on his face.

“S-sorry!” he said, and promptly closed the door again.

“Knock next time!”

Jean put his clothes on and then tidied his hair up a bit in front of his mirror. Looking down to the cologne sitting on his dresser that he’d gotten as a present from one of his aunts, which he had yet to open and use, he figured he would wear it tonight. Not for anyone in particular, but why not smell nice?

After spritzing himself at his neck, torso, and under his arms, he put the bottle down and then walked over to his door. Marco was standing with a very embarrassed expression on his face, and his freckles were drowned in a rosy red glow.

“Well don’t you two look nice!”

Jean turned and saw his mother coming down the hallway with Snuggles in her arms. Marco averted his eyes when he looked back at him.

“Yeah, we’re going to see a play at school.”

“Jean, you’re going out so much these days! You’ve really come a long way since last year!”

“Thanks, mom. We gotta get going. It starts at seven.”

“Okay well don’t let me keep you. Have a good time, and be safe.”

“Right.”

“Love you, hun.”

Jean blushed and started walking to the front door. Marco smiled at the woman, and hurried after his friend.

“Jean Kirstein!” his mother said, standing with an expectant look that didn’t even need to be seen by her son.

“… Love you too, mom!” said man replied, and then quickly exited the house.

“See you around, Ms. Kirstein!”

“Have fun and watch out for Jean, Marco.”

Once he and Marco were situated in his car, he started it up and then made sure to turn the radio onto a good station, then pulled out of the driveway. It was about time for them to get to school, otherwise they’d be late.

* * *

In his dress shirt, that he was nearly too brawny for, Reiner sat in the lobby of the English building, just outside the theater. He’d gotten here early, hoping to beat Bertholdt here. However, he jumped when the tall man crept over to him and put his hand on his shoulder.

“Bertholdt?! What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I was assigned to help with the lighting, remember?”

“Oh, right. Like the _lucky_ people in the class, all I had to do was come here and write a critique for this thing.” Reiner grinned.

“It wasn’t so bad. Now I’m not the one stuck writing a six page paper by Tuesday.” Bertholdt smiled. “By the way, you look… nice… Reiner…”

“Thanks. You look nice too, Bertholdt. Really nice. …Hey, you don’t think this shirt is too small on me, do you?”

“No. And don’t you like showing off your muscles?”

“You know I do. But the one I want to show them off to doesn’t even know I’m doing it for them.”

Bertholdt took a seat beside the shorter man. “Reiner… when are you ever going to tell me who this mystery person is?”

“One day I will...”

“Is it Christa?”

“I’m not telling you.”

“Well, if it _is_ her, you’re gonna have a tough time getting her from Ymir.” Bertholdt grinned and nudged the other with his elbow.

Reiner looked away. “Shut up…” he mumbled with a blush.

“You know, I think we can go into the theater now. Why are you sitting out here?”

“I was waiting for you.”

“Oh! I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. We were doing some last minute repairs on the set.”

“Let’s go in.” Reiner said, standing and subtly adjusting his dick in his pants.

“I saw that.” Bertholdt commented. “You could’ve waited until we were in the theater where it’s darker.”

“Leave it alone!” the blonde blushed, yet again.

* * *

“Marco, do we need to pick up tickets? Or can we just go in?” Jean asked, holding the door to the English Building open for said boy.

“I already got them. We can just go into the theater.”

“Cool. Cuz that ticket line is getting long.”

“There’s fifteen minutes before the show starts. Of course there’s gonna be a line, you goose.” The taller boy said as he walked up the stairs.

He missed a step and fell forward, but before he could fall onto the concrete, Jean moved fast and caught him by grabbing his shoulders. “Oi, be careful!”

“I-I’m sorry. I just feel a bit hazy is all…”

Jean looked at the bump on Marco’s head and sighed. “Just please be more careful, Marco. I don’t want you getting hurt or anything.”

“Right.”

After guiding him up the last few stairs, Jean let Marco walk on his own through the lobby and into the theater, past the ticket girl who seemed very bored with her job. “Wanna grab those seats right there?” he asked, pointing to the open seats next to a blonde guy who had his head turned.

“Sure.”

Awkwardly, the two of them brushed past the few people who were already in their seats, then reached the two available ones.

Jean sat down first, then Marco did.

“K-Kirstein?”

Both Jean and Marco turned to see Reiner and Bertholdt staring at them curiously.

“Braun?” Jean mimicked said man’s tone and bulky disposition, making sure to straighten his back and stick out his chest to appear the way muscular men do.

“Jean, stop.” Marco insisted.

“What are you doing here?” Reiner continued.

“Marco invited me. It’s for his class.”

“You’re in our class, aren’t you?” Bertholdt asked Marco.

“Yeah.”

“You could have come with us.” Reiner said.

“Well, I wanted to invite Jean. He’s fun to hang out with.”

“You’re kidding, right?” the bulky blonde asked with a grin.

“Oi, I’m sitting _right here_!” Jean said, raising his hands in a ‘what the hell’ kind of way.

“I know.”

“Reiner…” Bertholdt mumbled, putting his hand on the man’s shoulder gently.

Reiner sighed. He could never resist Bertholdt’s gentle insistence. “Right… Uh, enjoy the show, Marco. You don’t fall asleep.” He said, aiming the last statement at Jean.

“There’s a Jaeger everywhere I go…” Jean commented.

Before Reiner could say anything in retort, the lights started dimming and people started shushing other people, ironically making the most noise in the theater.

The show began after the stage lit up, and the actress who was playing Nora appeared on stage.

* * *

For most of the play, Jean found himself a bit bored. The only thing he was interested in was the pretty girl playing the lead role… or, what he assumed to be the lead role.

Marco’s arm brushed against his on the armrest, and he thought nothing of it. Marco, however, quietly apologized. It happened a few times, and Jean, to prove just how comfortable he was, reached over and wrapped his arm around the taller boy’s shoulder, pulling him close.

He leaned in and got close to Marco’s ear, “It’s fine.” He whispered. “Or do you want me to stay like this?”

“N-no. Don’t.” the freckle-cheeked boy blushed in the dark. Not that he didn’t want Jean to stay that way, it was just incredibly awkward.

To be honest, Connie was right. He did like Jean. He liked him a lot. But their friendship was so important to him. They’d only just gotten comfortable around each other. He didn’t want to jeopardize what they’d built together.

When Jean removed his arm, Marco sighed almost silently. He had to keep himself from getting aroused or anything. This was not the place or the time for anything like that.

Reiner turned to Bertholdt when the lighting changed. “You did pretty good.” He whispered after getting close to the taller man.

“It wasn’t just me…”

“Jeez, take the compliment.” Reaching down, he took the other’s leg into his large hand and squeezed it tightly.

“Okay, thank you…!” Bertholdt whispered, putting his hand on top of Reiner’s to try unclenching it from his leg. “Were your hands always so hairy?” he asked.

Reiner pulled his hand up to his nose and looked it over. “Those are _baby_ hairs, and it’s not even that big a deal.” He said, unaware that he’d just been had.

Marco had been keeping a somewhat watchful eye on the two of them, just to verify that they weren’t together or anything like Connie proposed shortly after thinking they liked each other. While Reiner did seem very touchy when it came to Bertholdt, and while Bertholdt talked with Reiner more tonight than he’d ever seen him talk since freshman year, nothing seemed out of the ordinary between them.

But just because he didn’t think they were together, it didn’t mean he stopped himself from thinking they’d make a cute couple.

“Is there something on my face?” Jean asked, raising an eyebrow at Marco, who was now looking in his direction.

“O-oh, no. Sorry. I was just… uh, making sure you weren’t asleep.”

A bit offended, Jean folded his arms. “Don’t you berate me, too.”

“I wasn’t, I promise.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

* * *

After the play ended and everyone gave their standing ovations, Jean climbed over his seat and suggested Marco do the same.

“Are you in a hurry?” the freckle-having boy asked as he did the same.

“I want to go check on everyone before I take you home.” Jean replied.

“But… visiting hours are probably over.”

“If I know Mikasa, she’s still in Eren’s room. Armin is probably there, too. We can get one of them to sneak us in.”

“Haha, like spies!” Marco grinned. He seemed a bit excited now at the thought of being sneaked into a hospital.

“Let’s go.”

“Right behind you!”

* * *

And just as Jean thought, Armin answered his phone when Marco called him, and he and Mikasa were still in Eren’s room.

“Ask Jaeger why he needs to stay in a hospital. He was only hit in the face by the back of someone’s hand.” Jean said, getting closer to Marco so he could be heard over the phone.

Marco shushed him and stepped away from him a bit.

Jean didn’t care for that, so he got close to the taller boy and started reaching for the phone. Marco lifted it into the air and backed away, but he eventually found himself against a wall with Jean right in front of him, reaching for his phone.

“Armin! We’ll meet you at the elevators!” he said, before pressing the red button on his screen.

Jean used one of his hands to hold Marco’s arms in place above his head, “You couldn’t let me talk, could you?” he asked.

Marco grinned, “Nope!” he said.

When Jean’s hand slid up his shirt, he blushed and his eyes grew wide. “Jean, what are you-oh god!” he started laughing very hard when Jean started tickling him.

“Take it outside, you two.” A security guard said, coming their way with a flashlight in hand.

Thinking fast, because this guy was obviously not going to let them meet Armin, Jean released one of Marco’s hands, then pulled him away quickly by the other. The security guard shouted for them to stop, and stated chasing after them.

Heart racing, after rounding a corner, Jean ducked off into a closet that was conveniently open, and pulled Marco inside with him.

It was dark, and very cramped. Probably a broom closet or something.

With Marco right up against him, breathing hard, he lifted his hand and put it over the boy’s mouth when he heard the security guard’s footsteps hurrying down the hallway.

“Yeah, keep an eye out for them.” He heard him say as he fast-walked past the closet.

“That was so much fun.” Marco said into Jean’s hand, making the other take it down after realizing he was depriving him of the oxygen he needed to regulate his breathing.

“Let’s go meet Armin. He’ll probably get caught if he’s standing around waiting for us for too long.

“Mhmm!”

Opening the door, Jean looked around to make sure the coast was clear before he and Marco made their way to the elevators on the other side of the hospital.

…

“There you guys are.” Armin said when he saw the JeanMarco duo approaching, and then came out from hiding behind the nurses’ desk that was beside the elevator. “The guards have all been much more active, talking about two teenagers who were running around the hospital.”

“What?! I’m twenty-one years old!”

“And I’m twenty!” Marco added.

“They don’t care about that, and I doubt they could tell from just chasing you two how old you are.” Armin commented. “Let’s get to the fifth floor. That’s where Eren’s room is.”

“Right behind you, Armin.” Marco said.

“Yeah, I’d hate to get caught after all this.” Jean commented.

…

When the door to Eren’s room opened, Jean was the first to walk in. He was grabbed into a sleeper hold, however, the moment he did.

“Mikasa, it’s Jean!” Armin said.

Mikasa released Jean, apologizing for manhandling him in such a way.

“What are you grabbing people for, Mikasa?” Jean asked, rubbing his neck soothingly.

Said girl took a seat next to Eren’s bed, where Eren was sleeping, and looked at him. “The person who did this is still out there. And I don’t know who they are, or why they did it. So you can imagine someone just walking in besides Armin or anyone in a doctor’s jacket would be a potential threat.”

Armin and Marco entered the room, then once the door closed, Armin walked over to the window and opened the curtains to let the moonlight flood the room. “Marco, how are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m okay. I had to attend the play at school, so I couldn’t go with you all to take everyone to the hospital.”

“You were attacked, too. You should have been seen by the doctor.”

“Marco is just disregarding himself for everyone else.” Jean commented.

“The others are fine, too. Gunther-san has a slight concussion, Petra-san, Oluo-san, and Erd-san all have a few fractured ribs. But luckily no one died.”

“Who would do this…?” Mikasa asked to no one in particular while staring down at Eren’s sleeping form.

“I don’t know… I can’t see a reason for anyone to do something like this.” Armin answered. Looking up to Jean, he smiled. “I’m glad you didn’t get hurt. You were so brave.”

“I wasn’t really, but thanks for trying.” Jean said. He walked over to Eren’s bed and saw the bruise on his forehead where he’d been backhanded and held in a laugh. While he felt like the dipshit deserved this, he was also glad he was okay. Life would be a lot less interesting if he disappeared. Who would he argue and fight with if he did? “Hey, we just came to see that you all were okay. But it’s kinda late, and I have to take Marco home, so I’ll see you guys on Monday.”

“Right. Thanks for your concern, Jean. And thanks for stopping by.” Mikasa said with a smile.

“Yeah, and get home safe.” Armin added, now seated at the foot of Eren’s bed.

“Good night, guys.” Marco said after Jean left the room. He waved and then went out after him, closing the door behind himself.

…

“You hungry or anything?” Jean asked when they finally got outside away from the roaming security.

“Not really. Besides, it’s late. Most places are probably operating at a lower standard of customer service than they do during the day.”

“Alright. Then let’s get on the road.” The shorter man continued, heading to where he parked his car.

“No speeding please!” Marco insisted.

…

The further from the city Jean and Marco got on the highway, the more stars were visible to them. And as he drove, Jean tried keeping his attention on the road, instead of up at the sky, or on Marco.

“Did you like the play?”

“Yeah, it was cool. Too bad we got stuck next to Ernie and Bert.”

Marco giggled, “No, no! I can’t believe you said that too!”

“What?” Jean asked with a grin on his face.

“Connie said the same thing about them!” the freckled-boy continued as he calmed his fit of giggles.

“They seem like it, don’t they? Reiner is Bert, of course.”

After the conversation seemed to die, Marco decided to change the subject. He’d been having a very nice day with Jean, apart from the dodgeball incident, and he wanted the night to be just as nice. “Hey, I’m proud of you for not asking Mikasa out.” He said with a smile.

“…Well we did talk about this. I’m giving her a break, and judging from that inescapable sleeper hold she had me in, it’ll be a looooong break.”

“I’m glad you went in first. I might have not made it through something like that.”

“You’re so soft, Marco.”

“You think that, but I have four brothers, all older than me. Trust me when I say I can handle myself.”

“So what happened today at dodgeball?” Jean asked as he rounded the corner that led into Marco’s neighborhood.

Marco touched the bump on the side of his head, “I got caught off guard… It was all my fault everyone got hurt…” he replied solemnly.

“How do you figure?”

“Well, if they hadn’t stolen my gear, none of that would have happened. I was careless, and I never saw them coming.”

Pulling up in front of Marco’s house, Jean stopped and turned to his friend. “Don’t think that way. I’m sure if it wasn’t you, whoever it was would have gone for someone else.”

“…” Marco turned to Jean with a thankful look on his face, yet he couldn’t say anything. All he could do was stare and wonder when straight guys got so nice. When Jean came his way, he blushed and his eyes went wide. “Wh-what are you doing?!”

Jean grabbed he boy by the chin and turned his head so he could look at the bump on his head again. “Does that still bother you?” he asked, putting his fingers against it gently.

“Yeah, but I’m okay… really.”

“Good.”

When Jean pulled away, Marco leaned over and grabbed him into a hug, squeezing him around his neck tightly as if he never wanted to let him go.

Jean was surprised about the forced contact, but did not push the boy away. Instead, he just sat there awkwardly, accepting his hug. He almost brought his hands up to return it, but stopped when Marco pulled away slightly.

“Thank you for everything, Jean. And please… don’t cry for me anymore. I hate seeing tears in your eyes, and I don’t deserve them.” Marco whispered in his ear.

Just when he thought it was over, Jean’s light brown eyes went wide and he jumped when Marco kissed him on the cheek. A shiver ran up his spine with those soft lips pressed gently against his skin, and his world froze temporarily.

The look on Marco’s face when he pulled away said he completely regretted doing it, and he apologized immediately. “I’m so sorry, Jean!”

Jean watched as he got out of the car and hurried up the sidewalk to his front door.

“Marco! Marco, wait!” he called out the window of his car.

Marco did not listen. Instead, he unlocked the door, went inside his house, and then closed the door so he could lean on it with all his weight. Breathing heavily with heartbeats so strong they threatened to break through his ribcage, he slid to the floor and closed his eyes.

After he heard Jean pull away from his house, he made to get up. However, Maggie, the Collie his oldest sister adopted a long time ago, came over to him. It was just who he needed. Opening his arms, he was glad when she came over to him and let him hug her.

Ruined. He’d ruined what he and Jean had. And that brought tears to his eyes. With Maggie in his arms, he let his tears escape and fall onto her warm, inviting fur. He felt guilty, stupid, and miserable all at the same time.

 _“I never should have kissed him! But even more than that, I never should have let him drive me around and get close to me… but… God… I’m… I’m in love with Jean.”_ He thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely look forward to the next chapter!


	7. The Dream, the Vine, and the Lust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your wonderful comments. I can't say I was going for cute lol, but I guess I can't help but write these two to be that way. Enjoy the chapter.

The next morning.

When he felt his phone vibrate under his pillow, Jean fully woke from the phase he usually found himself in over the weekends, where he was in and out of sleep for about forty minutes.

After reaching under his pillow and pulling his phone out, he saw that he had received a message from Marco.

_I'm taking the bus to school on Monday. Please don't come to pick me up._

"…What the hell did I do to be treated this way?" he asked aloud, still a bit tired and bleary as he tried figuring things out. He'd honestly done nothing hurtful to Marco, so why was he acting like this?

 _Are you okay dude?_ He sent him.

No reply.

He sent the message again.

No reply.

Fine, if Marco was going to be this way, then he'd be the same. The last thing he needed was to be stressed out about whatever was going on with him.

A knock at his door made him quickly pull the covers over his head and curl up. It was a bit cold in his room, so he could get away with pretending to be sleeping with the blankets so high.

"Jean, mom says get up." His dad said.

There was no way his dad was falling for his pretending to be asleep routine. "Tell her I don't feel good." Said man replied groggily.

"Look, I don't want to go carving pumpkins either, but we do it to make her happy. If she's happy, everyone and everything else in this house is happy." With that said, Jean's father closed the door and went on his way down the hallway.

"Fuck…" Jean lamented. This just wasn't his weekend.

* * *

As he sat alone outside the Hepburns' house, Jean played with the knife in his hand that he'd used to carve about five of the many pumpkins his mom wanted to take home for Halloween.

Some kids ran outside, one of them bumping into him and telling him to get out of the way, then started playing around in the front yard. Jean almost dropped his knife from being run into, but caught it just in time. Part of him wanted to get up and slap the one who ran into him, but the better part of him that knew what his parents and Marco would say about it made him decide against it.

"Jean, are you okay?"

Jean turned when he heard his father coming out onto the porch with that question.

"I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine. You've been moping around all day."

"I'm fine, dad."

"We're heading home in a while, your mom just wanted to catch up with Judy."

"Isn't that the lady who drank too much wine and passed out at our Christmas party last year?"

"Yeah, but don't say that too loud. She's been to rehab since then, and says she's been drinking responsibly for a few months now."

Jean looked out to the kids playing in the yard and sighed. Then he noticed that one of them had freckles.

"Well, you can stay out here with the kids if you want. I'm gonna go smoke a cigar from Ed."

"Think I can smoke one, too?"

"What have both your mom and I told you?"

"*sigh*No smoking or drinking allowed." When his father nodded and headed back inside, Jean rolled his eyes, "Even though mom drinks and you smoke all the time…" he said under his breath.

* * *

Monday morning.

Jean woke up early. A little too early. When he opened his eyes, he'd been greeted by a dark and cold room. His mother must have forgotten to turn on the heat last night. The weather lady had said it was going to cool down quite a bit, and it was about time considering it was the last week in October.

Quickly getting out from under his sheets, he grabbed some underclothes from his dresser and then hurried to the bathroom to take a shower, making sure to turn the heater switch inside it on before getting undressed.

The bottle of Peroxide was still on the counter, making him think about Marco for a moment. He hoped he was okay, but if he was intent on ignoring his texts, then there was really nothing he could do.

All he  _did_  know was that class would be awkward today…

After showering and getting ready for the day, making sure to put on a nice sweater, with a collared shirt on underneath it, and a pair of clean pants, Jean made some Toaster's Strudel and left the house.

Today, he didn't need to pick Marco up, so once he let his car warm up, he headed right on to campus.

* * *

Arriving to class fifteen minutes early was something Jean had grown used to. What he wasn't used to was seeing Connie and Armin sitting in the classroom.

"Morning, Jean." Connie said.

"Hey guys." He greeted as he walked to his seat. "Where's Jaeger?" he asked Armin once he sat down.

"He's eating in the cafeteria."

Connie looked at Armin. "How's he doing? I heard about what happened on Friday. Glad I missed dodgeball…"

"He's fine. Though, Mikasa made him wear gauze around his head because he actually hit it on the ground pretty hard when he fell…" the blonde answered.

Jean smirked. "I can imagine he  _loves_  that."

"Loves what?" Eren asked as he came into the room. He was indeed wearing gauze.

"Eren! I'm so glad you're alive, man!" Connie shouted.

Taking a seat in between Armin and Connie, Eren raised his thumb. "Yeah, I'm just fine."

Connie turned, "Hey, Jean…"

"What?"

"Where's Marco? Don't you usually bring him to school? Did you forget him?! You jerk!"

"I didn't forget him. He wanted to-"

"I'm right here."

Eren, Connie, Armin, and Jean all turned their attention to Marco as he came to the back of the classroom and took his seat beside Jean.

"Marco, I heard you got hit by the Cloaked Flash!" Connie said.

"… I'm fine, Connie."

"Good thing! What would we do without our freckled Jesus?"

"Cloaked Flash?" Armin repeated questionably.

"Yeah. People are already talking about it, and that's what they named the culprit."

Just then Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie all entered the classroom and took their seats in the front of the classroom.

"You and Jean have a fight?" Connie asked Marco. "You two are always together, so it's weird seeing you apart for even a few seconds."

"N-no!" the freckled-boy replied.

Jean watched as Armin looked over his shoulder at Marco with a sympathetically knowing look on his face.

"Good morning, Jean." Marco said once Connie and Eren started talking about deciding which next gen gaming system they were getting, and what exclusives were worth the buy. He hadn't been able to greet him properly when he first came in.

"Morning." Said man replied.

There was some awkwardness between them, mostly on Jean's end, and it was obvious to the both of them. For a few minutes, they sat beside each other in complete silence.

"Oi, so you guys are coming to my Halloween party on Thursday, right?" Connie asked.

"Hell yeah!" Eren shouted with a grin.

Armin jumped when Connie leaned over Eren and got in his face. "If I don't have anything to study for, I guess I can go." The blonde said after sweatdropping.

"Dude, it's Thursday night. You can take a break once on the weekend."

"…I guess."

"And what about you two?"

Marco paused, thinking it over for a second. "I can go." He replied.

"Yeah, I guess I can go, too. I don't have to dress up, do I?" Jean asked.

"Nah. We're not kids anymore."

"Fine, I'll go."

With a satisfied grin, Connie turned back around and then pulled out his phone, probably to invite more people to his party.

Professor Hanji walked in at eight o'clock on the dot, and after asking Marco to report to the main office, she started writing her notes for the day on the board.

Jean watched as Marco got up and left the room. And all he could think about was how he had kissed him last Friday night. He didn't know exactly what it meant… not that he hadn't tried to figure it out…

…

Marco ended up coming back at the end of class when almost everyone had left the classroom. Jean was still jotting down the last of the day's notes when he came in, and he decided that he would talk to him about Friday.

"Marco, can I talk to you?" he asked when Marco came to get his things.

"Um, yeah."

"Cool. Let's go outside."

"Alrighty." After picking up his notebook and putting it into his booksack, he followed Jean out of the classroom and down the hallway.

They both took seats on the bench near the building, under a tree that was turning some of the many colors trees usually did in autumn.

"Marco…" Jean began, looking up at some of the students walking in and out of the building a bit ahead of them.

"Jean, I'm sorry for kissing you. Really, I am."

"It's… it's okay. I'm not mad at you or anything. It just caught me by surprise is all."

"It won't happen again. I promise."

"So why did you take the bus to school this morning?"

"I… I thought you might not want to be around me for a while. Plus, I had to stop by the bio lab to drop off a paper to my professor."

Jean shook his head and leaned forward, resting his arms on his lower thighs. "Don't be ridiculous."

"You don't be ridiculous."

"…Don't be  _that guy_ , Marco."

"You don't be  _that guy_ , Jean."

"You don't… you don't have freckles!" Jean ordered.

Marco's eyes went wide and he didn't offer any rebuttal. There was a silence, and a surprised look on his face that refused to flee.

Jean was actually afraid he'd gone too far, said something too emotionally wounding, until the other started laughing.

"Hahahahahaha! That's such a good comeback!"

Smiling that he hadn't crossed the line, which he made a point never to cross, ever, Jean changed the subject to a more important one. "What did you get called out of class for?"

"Oh, they wanted my statement from the dodgeball incident. I couldn't tell them much, but I wound up talking to a few different investigators about it."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Hey, you need a ride home later?"

"…Well… the bus is still running-"

"I'm taking you home."

"Okay."

Jean smiled, yet again. He was glad that he hadn't lost one of his closest friends. Marco meant a lot to him. The thought of them being awkward around each other, or their friendship ending over a silly kiss on the cheek seemed incredibly stupid to him.

"Well, I guess we should get to our next classes." He said.

"You'll be late."

"You will too, genius."

"Nuh-uh, I'll just say I was being questioned by the detectives." Marco said with a grin.

"M-Marco... you're a bad student, aren't you?"

"I make good grades, and that's what really matters, haha."

Jean raised an eyebrow then stood up, "… I'll see you for lunch." He told the boy.

"Gotcha."

* * *

Thursday around two o'clock in the morning.

"Marco… what are you…"

"Jean… I want you…" said man spoke heavily, moving closer to Jean on his bed.

Jean backed up against the headboard, then put his hand out to stop Marco's advance. He was confused about where this had come from, just like he was when he'd been kissed that night.

Marco took Jean's hand into his, and then gently put his lips on it. Putting it down, he moved forward and pressed his lips against Jean's.

At first, Jean was surprised. Scared even. His heart was racing a mile a minute, but he did not push Marco away. Something about this was just… nice. Unexpected, but somehow needed. It had been a long time since anyone had been this close with him.

When Marco's hand ventured lower and found its way to his belt, he closed his eyes.

The sound of his belt being undone filled the somewhat quiet room, and it was a reminder of just how far he and Marco were going. So he put his hand onto Marco's before he could reach into his pants.

"Don't stop me, please Jean."

"Marco…"

"I need you to let me keep going."

"…O… okay…"

The feeling of a warm hand creeping into his underwear made Jean moan. When his penis was taken into Marco's hand, he blushed. The feeling of Marco's thumb running back and forth along the tip gently caused him to grow erect.

Soft lips soon found their way against his own, making him feel very…  _wanted_.

"N-no… uh… mmmmm." Jean moaned, cumming against his own will.

Eyes shooting open, he sat up and looked around, breathing heavily, while looking for Marco in the darkness of his room.

"Marco…!" he called, just low enough so his parents wouldn't hear.

No matter how much he wanted to find him, Marco was nowhere to be seen in his room.

Jean was soon reminded of how wet his underwear were when he made to get out of his bed. And then it hit him like a wrecking ball. "I had a wet dream about Marco…?" he asked, aiming the question at himself because he was in such disbelief about it.

* * *

And so the first part of the day went by, Jean not seeing Marco for any of it. He'd received a message from him saying not to pick him up today because he needed to get to school early to prepare for an exam he had today.

So Jean was left to himself for most of the day.

His first two classes, he was so out of it. All he could think about was Marco.

Marco. Marco. Marco.

That name and that freckled face thrashed about in his mind, not giving him a moment's rest in the least. It had been so bad that while taking notes in his Spanish class, he'd actually written Marco's name down in his notebook. The actual name of the person they'd been discussing was Marcel.

It was mental torture.

As he walked out of the class he had which let out right before lunch, he couldn't help but wonder just what he would say to Marco when he saw him. What did his dream mean? Did he now want to have sex with Marco?

It occurred to him that this was the result of the freckled-man laying lips on him.

"Yo, Jean!"

Said man turned and saw Connie coming his way.

"Connie…"

"What's up with you, dude? You look like shit today."

"Thanks. Glad to know I don't look like shit every other day." Jean replied, feelings slightly hurt for reasons unknown to him.

Connie came up beside him and elbowed him. "Have a late night or something?" he teased.

"No… Where's Sasha? Aren't you two always together?"

"She's doing something in the school's kitchen lab thingy. She'll join us for lunch soon."

Jean sighed. But if he had to be faced with Marco soon, better it be with Connie than alone.

* * *

"A- a chicken patty?!"

"Yeah. I eat other things besides burgers, you know." Jean said to his shorter friend.

Connie took a seat with his plateful of pizza. "I'm surprised."

"Oi, Connie…"

"Hm?"

"Do you ever… uh… jeez…" Jean didn't realize asking something like what he wanted to ask was so uncomfortable.

"Spit it out."

"I am…" Swallowing a mouthful of his own saliva, Jean let his question come out, "Do you ever have wet dreams?"

Connie's eyes went wide and he stopped lifting his slice of pizza midair. "You had a wet dream?" he asked.

"Maybe. I'm asking you if you ever do."

"Well yeah, sometimes. It's natural and happens from time to time."

"Do you know what it means?"

"I'm assuming you had one. And yeah, I know what it means. I could give you a scientific definition, but I'll just stick to the basics."

Jean squinted. "Okay."

"Basically, you're dreaming about something you want. Something that excites you sexually, and in some cases, it's something you don't want to admit excites you. It is a dream, and in dreams, our subconscious takes over and has a field day. It's also completely involuntary and happens when there is a lack of sexual release. Now I want to ask you… who did you dream about?"

"Jean, Connie!" Marco greeted with a smile as he came over to the table with his plate of lasagna.

Sasha wasn't far behind him, and when they reached the table, they took a seat. Marco sat beside Jean, and she sat beside Connie.

"What are you two talking about?" Sasha asked.

"Jean had a wet dream." Connie replied.

Everyone looked at Jean, who looked at Connie with a death glare. He turned away and rested his cheek on the palm of his hand.

"Was it about Mikasa?" Sasha asked.

"Guys, I think he's embarrassed…" Marco said. Moving closer, he put his hand on Jean's shoulder.

When Jean pulled away and avoided looking at Marco, Connie knew who it was who had invaded Jean's dreams and wet up his sheets last night.

Once he at his lasagna, Marco got up to go get some more food. It was then that Connie spoke. "You dreamt about Marco, didn't you?" he asked the light brown-haired man sitting across from him.

Sasha's brown eyes went wide and she stared at Jean.

"Leave me alone, Connie."

"Aw, come on! Something this big happens and you want me to leave you alone? I'm curious! What happened in the dream? How soaked were you when you woke up?"

"Connie, be more sympathetic!" Sasha said. "Jean, it's okay to dream about other people."

"Yeah, but Marco is a guy." Jean stated, watching said man as he stood in the burger line and talked to a random girl.

"Maybe it doesn't mean anything. It doesn't have to unless you make it."

"Sasha, it's different for guys than it is for girls. Do girls even have wet dreams?"

"Be quiet, Connie! You're making this worse."

"Look, Jean, I'm not judging you at all. If you are starting to find Marco exciting in  _that_  way, that's fine. He's a cool guy."

"Y'know… if I was a boy, or if he was into girls, I'd date him. He's real sweet." Sasha said. "Oh, and don't take out your frustrations on him. He didn't tell you to dream about him."

"Huh? What are you talking about? I didn't-"

"You pulled away from 'im like he had a disease when he was only tryna make you feel better a few minutes ago. He don't deserve to be treated like that, especially not by his best friend."

"…"

"Don't be mean to Marco, dude. He's way too nice for that. Maybe he's too nice for  _you_." Connie said with a grin.

"Shut up…"

"Jean, what would you do if Marco got a boyfriend? How would you feel about that? You probably wouldn't spend too much time with him, huh?"

"Connie, you can't force Jean into liking Marco. Especially not since he don't like guys." Sasha said.

"Well, that's not what his subconscious has told us."

"Jean, are you okay?" Marco asked as he came back to the table with his food.

Connie and Sasha both stopped talking and started wondering what things Jean did with the sweet and innocent Marco in his dream.

"I'm fine." Jean replied, avoiding eye contact as best he could without seeming obvious about it.

Sasha smiled at him and Connie had a knowing look on his face.

He realized now that he never should have said anything to Connie. Though, it was at least nice to get it off his chest…

* * *

Seven-thirty p.m.

Connie's house in the living room.

"Connie, how can you always afford to throw so many parties?" Eren asked, holding a bottle of Vine in his hand as he sat on the floor. He was the only person who had picked up an entire bottle. Everyone else had just drank multiple glasses of the spiked juice in the kitchen.

"My parents have money. That's all I can say." Connie replied.

"It must be nice to be able to have so much free time." Armin commented, changing the subject slightly.

"Not really. My parents argue more than a little. I'm honestly just glad my mom is over her 'I wanna demolish this house and build a new one' phase. I swear I dreamt that she was sleeping on it as a giant. Dad would never let this house fall, though."

"Your mom a giant? Strange dream..." Mikasa stated.

Jean was a little out of it, almost oblivious that the others were still sitting in the living room, because he'd drank quite a bit of the juice. For a while, he just sat on the couch, looking down at his cup. When he looked up, he was surprised to see that there were a lot of people here.

Connie, of course. Sasha. Mina. Milius. Thomas. Eren. Armin. Mikasa. Dazz. Ymir. Christa. Franz. Hannah. Nic. A few unnamed people that he'd only seen around school were present as well.

However, the person he wanted to see the most was nowhere to be seen: Marco.

Did he go to the bathroom or something?

Jean got up and took his drink with him to find out where he'd gone.

It came as no surprise when he found him sitting outside on the front step. He crept up behind him and slapped him on the back.

Marco turned and stared at Jean with a confused look on his face.

"Too good to enjoy the fun inside?" Jean asked after sitting beside the other.

"I just wanted to watch the stars come out." Marco replied with juice now covering his mouth and chin.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. I drank too much, and now I have a headache, so I couldn't keep listening to the music in there…"

"Connie turned the music down a while ago. Now they're watching Halloweentown."

"Haha really? I love that movie…"

"Marco, are you sure you're okay?"

"Well, I don't usually drink a lot. My head hurts a bit. Today is not Saturday… I need to lay down." Said man replied, and then made to lay down on the concrete.

Jean stopped him, then forced him to stand up. "I'm sure Connie has somewhere you can lay down for a while. C'mon." he insisted. After putting Marco's arm over his shoulder, he led him back inside.

"What's wrong with Marco?" Armin asked when he saw them enter the living room.

Marco blushed when a few people looked over at him and Jean. Attention wasn't something he craved too much, especially not in a situation like this.

"This baka just drank too much." Jean answered. "Connie, you have somewhere he can lay down?"

"Yeah. Take him to my room. Go up the stairs and it'll be the third one on the left."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Don't throw up on my stuff, Marco!" Connie said as the duo headed up the stairs.

Eren stood up and, after nearly falling flat on his face, headed over to the entertainment center under Connie's tv. "Let's watch something scary." He said.

"No, I like this movie!" Sasha objected.

Unintentionally, Eren started a debate about how Halloweentown was scary enough to keep watching, rather than switching to something like The Conjuring, or Chernobyl Diaries, one of the Friday the Thirteenth movies. Someone suggested Cloverfield, but no one wanted to watch it.

…

"There." Jean said as he helped Marco lay down on Connie's bed. His room was oddly in order. At the moment, it was only lit by a dim lamp. "You need anything? Like some coffee, or-"

"Stay with me, Jean." Marco muttered.

"Y-you want me to stay here?"

"Mhmm. I'll feel better if you're here."

Jean took a seat at the foot of the bed near Marco's feet, listening to the voices and laughter of the others that were echoing from the living room.

After about five minutes, he turned and looked to see if Marco had fallen asleep. To his surprise, those brown eyes of his were still open, just staring off into space. When they turned to him, he felt a bit odd. But despite that, he kept his eyes on Marco.

For a while, the two of them stared at each other without saying anything. Some time into staring at the other man, Jean wondered just what it was that had made him dream about him.

He wanted to find out. He wanted to feel those soft lips' caress again. He wanted  _Marco_.

Marco's eyebrows flew up his forehead when Jean got closer to him with heavy-lidded eyes.

"Jean…?"

"Marco… I have to be honest with you…" Said man said, and then stopped advancing.

"What?"

"I was there in elementary school… I know what you went through on an almost daily basis because you were different. I can't imagine that got any better growing up and finding out you liked guys instead of girls."

"Y-you were at my elementary school?"

"Yeah. I saw the kids bullying you a few times, and I'm sorry I didn't stick up for you. That's why I've been so insistent on being friends. But I do honestly care about you. I want to stay friends, and I want to keep you from crying ever again."

"Jean-" Marco started, feeling tears welling up in his eyes.

Jean moved closer, but when he got too close, Marco blocked him by putting his knees up.

"Marco… don't… Don't stop me."

"Jean, I-"

"I need to… Please move your legs."

Marco nodded, then opened his legs so Jean could get close to him. He was somewhat surprised when the other took his cheek into his hand.

"I don't care what you grew up thinking… Just know that… you're fucking beautiful, Marco. You're important, smart, sympathetic, and a lot of fun. Perfect in every way, and I'm glad you're part of my life." Jean said, and then closed the space between him and Marco.

Marco opened his lips when he felt Jean's tongue press against them, letting him in to explore to his heart's content. Reaching up, he wrapped his arms around Jean's neck to pull him closer.

Breathing heavily, Jean continued kissing Marco, enjoying it more than he allowed himself to admit. It was thrilling, being close to him like this. The forbidden lust and pleasure that Marco indulged himself in, he wanted it too. He wanted it badly.

Eagerly, he put his hands on either side of the taller man's hips to hold him. This was just like kissing any girl, he noted, only Marco was offering him a little something  _extra_. He could feel it through his jeans.

When he felt his belt being undone, Marco reached down and held on to Jean's hand. Pulling away, he buried his nose in the other's neck. "Jean, don't."

"Marco, please let me."

"I've been used before… I don't want that to happen again…"

"I won't use you, Marco. I promise."

"…"

"Do you want me, Marco?" Jean whispered.

"I… I do… more than you know."

"Let me give it to you, then."

"N-no… not now, not here. We both drank too much…"

"What do you want to do, then? We've come this far…"

Marco reached down and slowly undid Jean's belt, then flipped him over so he was on top. The redness of Jean's cheeks, and the longing look on his face told him this wasn't a mistake. He did wonder where Jean's sudden interest in him came from, but didn't question it much.

He'd wanted to do this for a long time.

To his surprise, after pulling his underwear down, he found that Jean was already erect. He wasn't the biggest he'd ever seen, but even so, what he was looking at was all that he'd ever wanted and more. It was Jean, after all.

"Ah…" Jean moaned when Marco took his penis into his warm mouth. He closed his eyes tight and sucked in air through his teeth, loving the feeling of this blowjob. His first instinct was to put his hand on the back of Marco's head, but he didn't because he didn't want to feel like he was forcing him to do anything. He'd never force Marco to do something like this.

When he felt the other's tongue run across the tip, which he already knew was covered in precum, he let out the breath he'd been holding in for a few seconds.

"Marco… You should stop…"

"Mm?" Marco hummed with his lips still wrapped around Jean's penis.

"I'm gonna… I'm gonna cu- haaah…"

Jean couldn't believe Marco as he swallowed his load.

Marco came up and blushed. "There was so much…" he said embarrassedly.

Jean leaned forward and took him by the shoulders. "I'm gonna return the favor." He said.

Marco's eyes went wide and he nearly started glowing red when the other made good on his word by flipping their positions and undoing his pants to start sucking him.

"Jean, you don't have to do that."

Jean released Marco's penis from his mouth and grinned. "I know."

"Mmmh!" Marco moaned, as Jean continued sucking him off. He lifted his hands and put them on the back of Jean's head to run them through his hair, which was just as soft as he imagined it to be.

Jean couldn't deny that this was exciting. He'd never sucked a penis before, but this was much nicer than he expected it to be. Marco fit so perfectly into his mouth, he smelled nice, and the noises he was emitting were so pleasant to listen to.

The next moan he heard, he knew the other had reached his peak. He also felt the hot liquid filling his mouth. It wasn't the best tasting, but it wasn't the worst, either. And he wanted to avoid making a mess, so he swallowed the waves once they entered his mouth.

"Jean, I'm sorry!"

"It's fine." Said man replied as he pulled away from the now limp penis in front of him. "If I didn't want to swallow your cum, I woulda pulled away when I felt the first bit of it on my tongue."

"I hope it didn't taste bad…"

" _You_  hope? That's  _my_  line…"

Marco smiled, "Yours tasted fine. I liked it, actually."

"Was it sweet?"

"Surprisingly, no. But it was you, haha."

Jean blushed. "… Marco, I hope this won't… change things between us. I wasn't using you… And I still want to be friends."

"… We can blame it on the alcohol."

"Right." Jean said. Though, he knew it wasn't the alcohol that was making him love that warm smile adorned with red, freckled cheeks Marco was giving him.

At some point, the two of them decided to go to sleep in Connie's room because Jean wasn't sober enough to drive. They slept on the floor, side-by-side, because Connie would surely want to sleep in his bed at the end of the night.


	8. Crush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song: Feel it all Around by Washed Out

Saturday morning.

With a slight headache, Jean woke up in a somewhat unfamiliar room. The sun flooding in through the blinds helped him see, and he was a bit shocked at finding Marco sleeping cuddled up beside him. There were a few empty bottles of Vine scattered throughout the room, and upon standing, he realized where he was.

This was Connie's house. He'd come here to the Halloween party and brought Marco, who drank too much… and…

Closing his eyes, Jean grabbed a handful of his hair when he realized what he had done with Marco last night.

It was a mistake. A silly, drunken mistake.

From what he recalled, Marco had denied him from being able to fuck him, which was smart now that he was looking back on it in hindsight. But still, they had done so much together.

How could he face him now?

Connie turned over in his sleep, managing to do so just enough that he fell off his bed onto the spot on the floor next to Marco where Jean had slept.

The kid must've been wasted beyond belief and blacked out at some point last night.

Jean shook his head. Honestly, he drank way more than he should have, too. If he'd heeded his parents' advice, he never would have drank in the first place. It didn't occur to him until now that he was a bit of a lightweight.

Taking a look down at Marco, Jean wondered just how much he had drank to be so easy to manipulate with sweet words.

In order to prevent any uncomfortableness, or having to help Connie clean up the mess everyone else had probably made, Jean leaned down and stood Marco up, managing to wake him a bit in the process.

"J-Jean?"

"Shhh… We're going home." said man whispered.

"O-okay...?"

"Marco," Jean began as he got him into the passenger seat of his car.

"Hm?"

"Are you okay to go home like this? What will your parents think if you come back looking the way you do?"

Marco scratched his head and laid back on the seat to get comfortable. "I'll be fine. My parents had some business to take care of in Wall Rose, so they shouldn't be there when we get there."

"Alright." Jean said, then closed the door and walked around his car to the driver's side. After getting in, he stuck the key into the ignition and turned it on. With a bit of haste, he left Connie's house and was soon out of the boy's neighborhood.

* * *

When they reached his house, Jean had to wake Marco up because he'd fallen asleep once again.

After fully waking up, Marco thanked Jean and then got out of the car. He was definitely going back to sleep once he got inside to sleep off the headache that was forming.

Jean also got out of his car, then walked up to Marco before he could get to his front door. "Marco…"

Marco turned and looked his friend in the eyes, then fake-smiled. "I'm sorry about last night… I said some things that I didn't mean, and-"

"Marco, stop. You don't have to apologize or lie to me. We were both drunk, and one thing just led to another. But… damn it, you better not ignore me for it. I told you I wasn't using you, and I meant it. You're my friend. So don't get all awkward on me, got it?"

"…I won't."

"We're still cool, right?"

"Yeah. Like the other side of the pillow." Marco smiled genuinely.

Jean shook his head, "Marco, you really are lame sometimes." He said with a smile.

"You're lamer!"

"Oh yeah?" Jean asked, then grabbed the taller man by the arm and lifted it into the air.

Marco tried getting away while laughing uncontrollably when Jean started tickling him mercilessly. "Stop! No more, please! I concede! I concede!" he managed to say.

Jean released Marco's arm and then turned to leave.

"Jean."

"Hm?" Jean said, looking over his shoulder.

"Thank you for being so cool."

"Tch… whatever."

"You… you just ruined the moment."

"Whatever."

It was Marco's turn to shake his head, and after doing so, he went inside his house. This time, there was no need for tears. Sure, he was in love with Jean, but he wasn't about to let those feelings ruin this amazing friendship he had formed with the man. It also seemed like Jean didn't want their friendship to end, so he had more than enough reason to keep quiet now.

* * *

Sunday night.

Jean stayed up pretty late texting Marco about random things. He'd found someone he could talk to for hours on end about absolutely nothing, yet still be incredibly entertained and content with it. It was thrilling.

As he texted him, he also tried recalling some of the things he'd said Friday night. Some things he could remember saying clearly, other things were a blur.

His cheeks went red and he warmed up all over when he remembered calling Marco beautiful. That was definitely strange to him. Sure, he admitted that Marco was eye-catching, but he never imagined he would tell  _him_  that. And he'd done it in the worst way possible.

Thanks to the fact that they were drunk, the  _events_  of that night could be overlooked. But that meant running the possibility of Marco disregarding the many sincere things he'd told him as well. Like how he wanted to keep him from crying, or how beautiful and perfect he thought he was.

"What the hell is going on with me? Why do I want another guy to know I think of him like that?" he asked himself.

It was all true and he knew it, it just felt weird to admit.

_That game is hard, you goose! I'd like to see you win all the achievements_

He'd recently discovered that Marco had an XBOX and a Live account, he just didn't play it often.

_What next gen system are you getting? They come out this month._

_I want a PS4, but I don't have the money for it. It'd be perfect for Christmas break, cuz then I could play it all day._

_I might get one. I've saved up some money, so it wouldn't break the bank._

_Get it then._

_I will._

_Okay._

_Fine._

_That's great._

_I know_

_Have fun_

_Stop it. We can't do this again._

_I win! Hahahaa!_

Jean texted Marco good night, as he was unwilling to carry on in another pointless last-word texting battle with him.

 _Night night Jean ; )_ was the last message he received.

After turning his phone off, Jean got under his sheets and then closed his eyes.

He could not fall asleep, though. All he wanted to do was talk to Marco. He'd developed some kind of overdependence on him, and it unsettled him greatly. After all, Jean did not like depending on people.

But he realized what he needed from Marco was different from what he'd ever needed from anyone else, and that was friendship.

It had gotten to the point where he couldn't imagine his days without the freckled-man. Their conversations and interactions were something he found himself thinking about from time to time, even the insignificant ones.

However, as he thought about the times they'd been too close, like the many times when Marco checked his answers while they studied together in the library, or the time in the theater during the play, and also the time in the broom closet, he realized there was something else going on.

Confusion and avoidance of the subject soon fled, and Jean admitted to himself that he had an incredible, unmistakable crush on Marco Bodt.

* * *

Monday morning.

Marco came out of his house with a pack of Pop Tarts in his hand. "Sorry I'm a bit late!" he said as he got into Jean's car.

"It's cool. You got everything?" Jean asked.

"Yup."

After hearing that, Jean pulled off and made his way out of Marco's neighborhood.

As Marco ate his Pop Tart, Jean started to wish he hadn't skipped out on breakfast this morning. He wouldn't make it to school in time to stop at the cafeteria, so he'd probably go hungry until lunch. And he really didn't want anyone to see the ungodly side of him that arose when he was hungry.

"Want some?" Marco asked, offering him the silver pack. "Oh, wait, not that one! I ate off of that one." He said, pulling it back. He was surprised when Jean reached over and took the one he'd eaten off of from him.

"It's fine."

"O-okay."

Though he tried avoiding the fact that he was crushing on Marco, Jean couldn't. Everything he did was so… so right. It was like he was an angel sent down to make everyone fall in love with him or something.

As they got to campus, he glanced at the other through the corner of his eye. Marco was really, truly handsome.

"Hey, I'm gonna go to the bio lab for a sec." the freckled-man said once the car was parked in a parking space.

"Alright."

The two of them made the walk to the science annex together, but went separate ways after going inside. When Marco left his side, Jean continued on his way to Professor Hanji's class.

Just before he got up the stairs, a girl called out to him.

"Marie…?" he said curiously as she came up to him.

"Jean, can I talk to you?" Marie asked.

She was a girl in one of his other classes that Jean didn't realize who knew he existed. She was very pretty, a blonde with blue eyes, similar to Christa, but very different in height, and also different personality-wise.

"What's up?" Jean asked when they two of them were alone.

Marie moved her hair behind her ear before speaking, "Well, I've been meaning to say this for a while now… And… I think you're cool. Like, really cool. I know you don't socialize much, but if you want, I'd love to maybe go out sometime." She said, then went into her purse to look for something.

"Are you serious?"

Marie looked up at Jean and stopped looking for whatever it was she'd been seeking. "Yeah. But if you have a girlfriend, that's okay. You can forget I asked…"

"I don't have one, but Marie, I uh… I need some time to think about it."

"Sure! Just know that no matter how lame you may think you are, there's always someone who likes you just the way you are." She said, implying that's the way she thought of him. After pulling out her planner, scribbling her number down on a piece of paper from it, and then giving it to Jean, she left him standing in the hall to think about what she'd told him.

* * *

"Jean, are you okay?" Marco asked once their Earth Science class let out. "You've been kind of quiet all morning."

"I'm… I'm fine. I just have a bit of a stomach ache." Jean replied, slyly referring to the butterflies he was getting. He had a lot to think about, including Professor Hanji's lecture, so he hadn't really been able to talk much during class.

"Maybe you should go home."

"I can make it until two."

"Do you need me for anything? I can take you to the infirmary…"

Jean shook his head. "I said I can make it. Now go on to your next class before the teacher realizes what a bad student you  _really_  are."

"Okay. Feel better!" Marco replied, then went on his way to his next class.

"Admit it."

Jumping from the suddenness of Connie's demanding voice coming from behind, Jean turned and felt the urge to put the short boy through a wall. "What?" he said, feigning ignorance.

"You like Marco. It's so obvious. I'm surprised he can't tell."

"I do not like Marco."

"Whatever you say, Jean. What-ever. You. Say." Connie said suggestively, then headed down the hall in the opposite direction that Marco had gone in.

Rolling his eyes, Jean went on to his next class as well.

* * *

"Marco, I think I like you. No… Marco, we should go out to a movie sometime. No, that's lame. Marco, you make me want to throw up when I see you… 'cuz I like you so much! It's the flutterbies-butterflies! Damn it, no!" Jean sat at his usual lunch table trying to figure out the right thing to say to Marco to let him know how much he liked him.

It was  _impossible_!

He was producing nothing that he'd want to hear someone say to him, so everything he came up with he immediately rejected.

When he liked a girl, Jean would just tell her and watch as she either laughed at him or backed away from him slowly. Marco didn't seem like the kinda person to do that, but still, the thought of him doing the same as the few people Jean had ever liked before him made the man angry. He could tell Marco wanted him physically, that's what that kiss was about, right? Or could it have been him just being the nice guy that he was?

" _I_ was _being unusually gentle with him that night…"_

… Marco was a complicated and a very difficult man to figure out.

"Yo, Kirstein."

Jean turned and saw Eren approaching with a plate of food, followed by Armin, Connie, and Sasha.

The four of them all sat down at the table, and started talking and eating like nothing was out of the ordinary, but Jean was confused. "Where is Marco?" he asked.

"Oh, he said a guy wanted to talk to him at lunch, so he's not going to be able to make it." Armin answered.

"A guy?"

"Yeah. That's what he said."

Eren snickered at the statement, and when Connie caught on, he started snickering too. They were too immature to hang around for extended periods of time. There wasn't even a joke, unless it was an inside one, yet they found the statement incredibly entertaining.

Jean was quiet for most of the rest of lunch, only speaking when spoken to. All he wanted was Marco. He was all he could think about now. Well, him and Marie's little confession.

So when two o'clock rolled around, he was quick to send Marco a text to meet at his car. On the way to his car, he saw Marco talking to Armin just outside the English building, and hurried to get to him through the crowds of students whose day also ended at two.

"… yeah, he asked me out." He heard Marco say.

Those words rang like sirens in his ears and the entire world seemed to slow down immensely. Jean stared at Marco as he blushed at Armin, who seemed to be teasing him about what he'd just been told.

"I knew he'd ask you out. He told me he wanted to a few days ago." Armin said.

"You coulda told me! I was so surprised when he did."

"What did you say? Don't keep me guessing!"

"…" Marco blushed again and looked embarrassed, "I said yes."

"That's great! You know… … …"

Armin's words faded out and Jean stared at Marco crestfallenly for a second. He turned and, instead of going over and talking to Marco, he headed to the parking lot. Words couldn't begin to express what he was feeling right now, and when he reached his car, he got inside and laid back on his seat before closing his eyes and sniffing.

* * *

The worst thing about crushes was that they always hurt in the end.

Since Jean was so good at hiding things, Marco had no idea about the many feelings he was concealing on the way to Marco's house. The entire ride was pretty quiet, as the radio was on and Marco was reading a novel he must've gotten into recently.

"Did your stomach ever feel better?" the freckled-boy asked as they pulled up in front of his house.

"It's okay now. I just… uh need some sleep or something." Jean replied, avoiding eye contact as subtly as possible.

"Text me if anything happens. Get home safe, Jean."

"I will."

"Night night!" Marco said, and then got out of the car.

Jean waved when he was waved at, "Good night, Marco." He said under his breath. Without a second glance at Marco's house, he drove away when he saw his crush go inside.

The ride back to his own house was much less depressing, Jean noted, because the person he'd become so interested in wasn't sitting in the seat beside him anymore.

When he got home, after hearing his mother tell him he didn't look so good, he went straight to his room and closed the door. Snuggles was on his bed, and even though he'd normally tell him to get out, having something there that wouldn't judge him but would still look at him like he had some worth was somehow comforting.

After turning the lights off, he fell face first onto his bed, closed his eyes, and thought only about Marco.

Who was the guy he was going out with? Why had he never met him? Would this guy hurt Marco in any way? How would this affect their friendship?

So many things… he wondered so many things. But if Marco would be happy with this person, then he couldn't stand in his way.

The last thing Jean thought about that night wasn't Marco.

Unexpectedly, he found himself thinking about Marie's words to him in the hallway earlier.


	9. Envy

Tuesday morning.

After he and Marco arrived at school, where they found a few Thanksgiving decorations already put up, Jean went on his way to his History class. He hadn't even heard Marco tell him to have a good day.

Through the hordes of students on their way to their classes he went, almost eagerly. There was one person he was looking for.

"Marie!" He called out when he saw her about to go into the classroom.

"Oh, good morning Jean." The girl said, and walked over to him instead of going inside the class.

"Hey uh, can we talk for a sec?"

"Sure, what's on your mind?" Marie asked.

Jean scratched the back of his head nervously for a moment. "I don't know if you still think I'm… cool? Was that the word you used to describe me?"

"Haha yeah." The blonde girl giggled.

"Oh, well… if you still think that, then I… can I take you out sometime?"

Marie was pleasantly surprised, but nodded and tried hiding it. She wasn't very good at hiding her excitement, though. "Wanna sit together today?" she asked.

"Don't you sit with your friends?"

"I can make an exception for you, silly."

Jean stared at Marie, but as he did, he felt like he was seeing right through her. The way she treated him was almost the same as how Marco treated him…

"You okay?" Marie said, shaking him from his train of thought.

"Y-yeah."

Marie took hold of Jean's hand and smiled, "C'mon then, let's go in."

* * *

"Marco, who's this guy you're dating?" Sasha asked out of the blue while the two of them made their way to the cafeteria.

Marco blushed a bit, completely flustered, "He's a guy from my biology class. I didn't really know he was interested until we did a lab together, but even then I…"

"You…what?"

"N-nothing…" He was avoiding the fact that he still liked Jean more than anything. But to him, their friendship was more important than his feelings. He couldn't risk losing Jean.

"Are you sure it's nothing?"

"Yeah. Well, no, but yeah at the same time."

"You're more confusin' than us girls are, Marco."

Said man smiled and agreed. He knew he was being confusing because lately he'd started confusing himself. But now that he was seeing someone, he felt that maybe he could get over Jean and never let him know how in love with him he was.

"Hey Marco!"

Marco and Sasha turned around at hearing that. While Marco smiled, Sasha raised an eyebrow.

"Who is that?" she whispered as the man approached.

"Thomas. But I call him Tom."

A man of an average height came up to them. He had dark brown hair and a nice smile. His choice in clothes was normal, not being too flashy but also not being trashy. Considering the weather was getting cooler, the clothes he was wearing hid his actual build, but Sasha could tell he was about average.

"You about to eat?" Tom asked.

"Mhmm."

The thing Sasha hoped Marco wouldn't do was exactly what he did: he invited Tom to eat with them.

This would surely be awkward…

And awkward it was. As it so happened, Jean had found himself a girlfriend, to  _everyone's_  surprise. The table was a little crowded today, as there were usually just the four of them who ate together, but now Tom, Marie, Armin, Eren, and even Mikasa all joined them today.

While Jean subtly sized Tom up, Marco subtly took note of Marie. Jean was thinking along the lines of 'what does that guy have that I don't,' and Marco wondered where such a pretty girl came from to suddenly be with Jean.

Tom made a few jokes and started bonding with Eren and Connie, making Jean feel like he was being replaced in some fashion… He didn't like this guy. He didn't like his face, he didn't like his clothes, and he  _especially_  didn't like the way he teased Marco about his freckles… Thankfully Marco was comfortable with them now and even started teasing back.

"Hey Jean, I have to go." Marie said, before getting up. "I'll text you later. And it was nice meeting you all." She told the rest of the group with a smile.

When she left, Connie nudged Jean. "Quite a cutie you got there."

"Thanks."

"So you're over Mikasa now, huh?" Eren asked.

Mikasa looked at Eren, who turned away, embarrassed and slightly intimidated.

Jean ignored him, only wanting to talk to Marco really, but he couldn't because he was so preoccupied with  _Tom_. So after another five minutes of watching the two of them talking  _like he wasn't sitting right there with obvious feelings for Marco_ , he got up and excused himself, saying he had some last minute studying to do for his next class.

Armin, being the most observant of the group, wondered if Jean was upset about something. After all, he, nor anyone else at the table besides Sasha and Connie, knew about the possibility that Jean liked Marco a lot.

On his way to his next class, Jean felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out. He'd gotten a message from an unknown number:

_i think you should talk to us. this is sasha by the way_

_I don't need to talk to anyone. I need to study. Have a good day Sasha_

No message came to him after that. He wasn't trying to be mean to Sasha, it was just, he was so frustrated and jealous and a little confused.  _"I thought I liked girls…"_  he thought as he sat in the library off in a sunlit corner away from the other students.

What was it about Marco that made him like him, anyway? He got better grades than him, he babied him, and teased him, and lectured him… and encouraged him… and smiled at him all the time…

The butterflies were working up a storm in his stomach again. It made him want to punch a hole in the wall.

 _Jean wanna go out on Friday? That's the best day for me._ Marie texted him.

Jean had to clear his head because Marie definitely didn't deserve his confusion-induced wrath. And most importantly, he took her up on going out because he hadn't actually had a girlfriend in a long time. She was also just what he needed to forget about what was going on with his heart…

" _Shit, now I feel like I'm using her…"_

"Jean?"

Said man looked up and saw Marco coming his way with a book under his arm. He looked so innocent and oblivious.

Damn everything.

"What are you doing here? Doesn't your next class start in like ten minutes?" the freckled-man asked as he sat down across from his friend.

"It's fine. I think I'll just skip it."

"I thought you had a test."

"I don't."

"Oh. Are you… okay?"

"I'm cool. I just…" Jean hesitated and exhaled before looking away from Marco.

"What is it?"

"Marco, you'll tell me if this new guy hurts you, right?"

Marco looked honestly surprised for a second, "You think Tom would hurt me?"

"Just tell me things, okay?"

"O-okay."

"Promise me."

"I will! I promise!"

"…"

"So are you still gonna skip your next class?"

"…Nah… I  _am_  paying for it, after all."

"Such a role model student!"

"More than you."

"Prove it."

"I will jump across this table and make you laugh so hard you'll never be able to step foot in this library again."

Marco stood up and, after putting the book he came in with into his booksack, he protected his underarms by holding his arms close to his torso, "I'll see you after class, Jean."

"Don't be late or I'll leave you."

"Right."

* * *

Friday evening.

Managing to slip away from his parents without telling them he had a date, Jean quickly drove out of his neighborhood and made his way to the address displayed on his GPS navigator. He didn't need it once he made it to Marie's street, because she was standing outside at the end of her driveway. She looked very nice in her red cardigan and white skirt. Her hair was held back by a headband, only allowing for a stray lock of hair to fall gracefully down the side of her head.

Jean pulled into her driveway and got out of his car.

"Hi, Jean!" Marie said cheerfully, hurrying over to the man and throwing her arms around him.

With her breasts pressed against his abdomen, Jean felt a bit awkward. He pulled away to hide his growing erection, knowing that was something that would have her maybe not thinking so highly of him if she felt it.

"Hey Marie." He greeted much calmer than she had.

"You look very nice tonight, haha.

"Right, thanks… Oh, you look nice too!"

"Thank you. So what movie are we gonna see?"

"I was thinking a scary movie or something."

"What? That's not romantic."

Jean avoided eye contact with Marie, thinking about how Marco would've probably gone along with it. "I guess we could see something funny."

"Oh, would you want to see that new Hunger Games movie? I kinda want to."

"Oh… okay."

Marie smiled, "You're gonna love it!"

* * *

"Want anything from concessions?" Jean asked as he and Marie entered the main room of the movie theater.

"Nah, I have some candy in my purse." The girl grinned, then put her finger over her lips in a shushing manner.

"Oh, cool. Well let's get inside the theater then."

After walking past all the movie promotional posters and with Marie and getting to the theater they were supposed to be in, Jean let her pick the place they would sit, which was all the way on the top row. He let her go in first then took a seat beside her. A lot of people were already inside the theater, most of which looked like couples where the boyfriend was forced to come to this movie, but a certain one caught Jean's attention.

It was Marco and Tom.

The two of them were sitting in the middle of the theater, talking and joking with each other.

" _Fuck."_ He thought, slinking down in his seat a bit.

"Jean, what's wrong?" Marie asked.

Said man jumped, having temporarily forgotten she was there, and sat up straight again. "Nothing." He said.

Marie waited until Jean looked away to take a look around the theater, then she spotted Marco and Tom. At first, she was going to suggest they go sit with them, but she put things together and decided against it.

"Jean, did you see the first movie?"

"Huh?"

"Did you see the first Hunger Games? We can go if you didn't."

"I saw it." It was true. He had seen it, and it was cool. If he was honest with himself, he'd been a little eager to see this movie. That eagerness vanished the moment he saw Marco with his date.

This was going to be a long movie, he could already tell.

* * *

When the last scene of the movie faded and the mocking jay emblem was scorched onto the screen, Jean turned to Marie. He jumped when she moved close to him with starry eyes.

"M-Marie…"

"Jean, this movie was so good! I can't wait for the next one!" she exclaimed quietly.

"Heh, yeah. It wasn't so bad." Jean replied, looking down to where Marco and Tom were only to find them gone.

"Thanks for bringing me. It was great seeing it with you."

"You ready to go home?"

"Yeah, let's get outta here."

* * *

So tonight wasn't as bad as Jean thought it would have been. The movie was just interesting enough to keep his attention focused on it and not on Marco. And Marie was very sweet. The thought of dating her wasn't completely out of the question.

As he followed her up the sidewalk to the front door of her house in the darkness of the night only being lit by the landscape lights along the trail, he wondered what it was that he had done to earn the attention of such a pretty and nice girl.

"Jean, thanks for taking me out. I really liked the movie." Marie said when she reached her front door. After turning around and putting her hands behind her back, she smiled at him and her cheeks went a little pink.

"It was no problem. I actually liked the movie, too."

Marie walked over to Jean and stood on her tiptoes, then pressed her lips against his cheek.

"Good night, Jean. See you soon."

"Yeah." Said man blushed. When Marie went inside her house, he turned and headed back to his car.

When he got inside, he couldn't help but wonder if Marco had enjoyed his date. He grew a bit jealous at the thought of him kissing Tom, or vice versa, and squeezed his steering wheel. It wasn't healthy, his jealousy, but he really, really couldn't take the thought of that.

No matter how much he was starting to like Marie, no matter how sweet she was to him, and no matter how cool hanging out with her was, Jean knew his crush on Marco wasn't going to be easy to get over. All that she was to him, Marco was that and more.

It hadn't even occurred to him that he'd long since moved on from Mikasa, someone he thought he was in love with at one point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Tom is not Thomas Wagner


	10. Always Here for You

Three long and very stressful weeks passed and the Thanksgiving Break soon came upon the students inside the walls, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and colleges alike. Breaks truly are a wonderful thing.

Lying stomach-down on his bed and playing an online game with Connie, Eren, and Marco, Jean gunned down someone who had just aimed for Connie's character.

"Watch your back, Connie." He said dismissively, then moved his character on its way.

"Whoa, thanks Jean!" Connie replied over his headset.

Eren was up on a balcony sniping some enemies, and Marco was hidden away to take down anyone that passed who wasn't an ally with grenades. The four of them had been at it for about two hours, Jean surprising himself at how much he was actually not entirely bored with this game.

He hadn't really spoken to Marco much during the match, as he didn't want his little crush being obvious to Eren or Connie… or Marco for that matter. For weeks he'd held his tongue in a silent agony as he watched Marco get closer to Tom.

It hadn't been easy, that was for sure.

Of course he and Marie were still going out. She was an amazing girlfriend - they'd officially decided they were girlfriend and boyfriend about two weeks ago - and she definitely took Jean's mind off of Marco when they were together. But still, the car rides, eating lunch together, extreme dodge ball, and the occasional times they all hung out together outside of school were hurtful reminders that Jean couldn't have Marco.

He didn't want to just come out and tell him he had a huge crush on him in hopes that that would break him and Tom up. That would be absurd. Why would Marco, for as smart as he is, break up with someone he clearly liked a lot for someone who had a  _crush_  on him? Someone like Jean at that… He didn't see much value in himself, so people like Mikasa, Marie, and Marco all seemed out of his league.

"Jean, watch out!" Marco shouted into his headset.

Said man watched as his character was gunned down from behind. "Shit." He cursed, flipping his joystick out of his hand in frustration.

"Stop whacking it over there and get your head in the game." Eren teased, then took out the person who had shot Jean.

"Excuse me for not being able to whack it  _while_  playing like you." Jean retorted.

A knock on his door distracted him from the game, and he told the person to come in.

"Jean, are you sure you don't want to come with us to see Gran Gran and Grandpa?" his mother asked as she opened the door and peeked her head inside. "You'll be here all alone on Thanksgiving tomorrow…"

Jean's grandparents lived in Wall Sina, close to the king's castle. He had no real desire to go see them, as he'd surely see them when they would come to visit for a week leading up to Christmas.

"It's fine, mom. I've got stuff to do anyway." Stuff… many things like gaming, procrastinating on homework, and also jerking to the thought of Marco lying beneath him.

"Okay. We'll bring you back some food and dad and I will cook when we get back."

"Kay. Have a safe trip."

"Don't spend too long on that game, it'll rot your brain." She said, then made to leave, "Love you, sweetheart."

Jean waited for her to be gone, but she stood there staring daggers at him. "Love you, too!" he quickly said.

Eren and Connie's resulting laughter made him blush, but his mother seemed very satisfied. With a smile, she closed the door and headed to the kitchen to grab a dessert she'd made for her parents.

At hearing the front door close, Jean grinned and turned his attention back to the game. Of course he would play for hours on end, just because he was advised not to.

* * *

Thanksgiving Day. A little after noon.

Jean woke up and scratched his head, before looking around his room. He'd stayed up much later than he planned to last night playing the warfare game Eren suggested they all play, and thus, he was still a bit tired.

Nevertheless, he got up and slipped some pants on, then turned on the TV. There wasn't much to watch, considering it was all daytime television, but he left it on anyway. Some background noise was better than nothing at all.

And for a while, it was fine. Eventually he left his room to shower and get something to eat from the kitchen, in the process finding $40 on the counter for him, and then decided to go back and try sleeping a bit more. That only worked for about four hours or so. It was a nice cat nap. When he woke up, he found he had 10 missed calls and a few text messages. The texts were from Marie and his friends, all wishing him a Happy Thanksgiving. The calls were from an unknown number.

He opened some of the voicemails the number had left. They were all from a hospital.

* * *

Six p.m.

Having so many people over at the Bodt house was a Thanksgiving tradition. All of the children (Marco's siblings) and grandchildren were gathered, along with the cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and even some family friends. It had been a busy day cleaning the house and making sleeping arrangements for those who would be staying the night.

Marco had thought about inviting Tom, but decided against it. Their relationship was still very new and he didn't exactly want to introduce him to everyone he was related to just yet.

In his family, out of ten, he was the only one who found himself interested in people of the same sex, which was fine by him. He just didn't want to impose on his family by bringing a guy home for them to meet. They accepted him for his sexuality, but even still, he didn't like the idea of being the  _different_  one. So while all his older siblings had their spouses and significant others over, he fell in with the younger ones who were just in high school and middle school who didn't have anyone come over.

"Marco, don't take all the turkey!" Susie, the third oldest said as she came into the kitchen. She was very pregnant and due in about four months. Needless to say, she was putting away the most food. Marco grinned at her and offered the tray to her. "Haha real funny." She said, then proceeded to take at least half the turkey from it. "I'm feeding three here!" She was feeding herself, her baby, and Oliver—her fiancé.

"Marco, Janie took my piece of apple pie! Make her give it back before I cut her pigtails off!" Leah said as she stomped into the kitchen. She was ten and quite the little tomboy.

"No no! Please don't! Here, I'll get you another one!" The freckled man said, then cut her another piece of apple pie. "Eat away from her this time."

"Thank you, Marco. She's been begging for a punch in the face all day and she just might get it!"

A few others came into the kitchen and Marco slipped out past them, wanting to avoid the rush for second helpings. The doorbell rang, making him stop on his way up to his room.

Being the closest to the door, he walked over to it and unlocked it.

He was surprised to find Jean standing on his doorstep with his hands in his pockets and looking very glum. "Jean, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Marco… can I come in?"

"Um, yeah sure!" Marco said, then stepped aside so Jean could enter.

"I need to talk to you…"

"Okay." Marco nodded and led Jean up to his room, then put the plate of food he had down on his dresser. After sitting down on his bed, he patted the spot next to him, indicating for Jean to sit beside him.

"Are you okay, Jean?"

After sitting down beside Marco, Jean brought his hands together and glued his eyes to the floor. He was quiet for a while, not really knowing what to say, or how to say it. "Marco… my… I… I don't know what to… shit…"

Marco's eyes went wide when he saw a tear fall onto Jean's pant leg.

"Jean!"

Said man looked up and let more tears escape. He'd been holding them in for a while, but now being here in front of Marco, he felt he could cry without judgment. "Marco, my parents… they were in a car accident." He finally said.

"What? Where?!"

"In Wall Sina… they're… they're both in the hospital…!"

Marco watched almost helplessly as Jean shook his head and then sat there crying. He didn't know what to do, and he felt so bad that almost wanted to cry with him. "It'll-it'll be okay, Jean!" he said, then put his hand on the other's back.

The moment he did, he jumped when Jean moved closer to him and buried his face in his sweater-covered stomach. He felt his cheeks go warm and wanted to push Jean away, but he needed to be here for him. This was obviously only something he could do since Jean wasn't with Marie or any of his family while trying to cope with this.

"It'll be okay, Jean. I know it will."

"Ma-Ma-ru-cooohh…" Jean's cry was muffled by the warm stomach he'd buried his face in.

"You can let it all out. I'm here for you."

"What if they die…? What if-"

"Don't talk like that, Jean! You have to have faith. Be strong for them!"

After grabbing hold of Marco's sweater, Jean tried calming himself down. When he felt a hand rub him on the back, he just let the tears fall out even more than they had before. He felt so bad for thinking of his parents as nuisances now. They'd only ever shown him love, yet he didn't appreciate them as much as he should have.

"Mar…co…" he sobbed, managing to quell his sadness a little. Just saying his name was enough to sedate him.

"They'll be okay. So please, don't cry anymore… It makes me want to cry." Marco said softly, still running his hand along Jean's back.

Jean backed off a bit and wiped his eyes. He'd always wanted nothing more than to hide his weakness from everyone, Marco included, but by coming to him now, he showed it to him… Just like that time at dodge ball.

"Th-thanks man… you… you're such a good friend, Marco."

"No, it's fine. I'm here for you, always." Said man smiled a little, trying to comfort the man he loved.

"I know… That's… why I came… to you."

"…Do you want to stay the night with me? I can sleep on the floor."

"No, I really should go home…"

"You shouldn't be alone at a time like this. Stay here for a while. It's fine."

"..."

"I have to go make sure the animals are okay. Wanna come with?"

"… Sure…"

"Let's go then." Marco said, before standing and holding his hand out to Jean. When Jean took it, he smiled at him and helped him up. Then after Marco tenderly wiped the tears from Jean's eyes, they left the room and headed past his family members, who asked him a thousand questions about Jean, and went outside.

"It's kind of cold out here…" Jean mumbled while stuffing his hands into his pockets as he walked alongside his friend to the barn.

"I can run and get a heavier jacket for you."

"…Nah, I'm good." The shorter man said, forcing himself to believe he wasn't cold.

"Stop trying to seem so cool."

"I don't have to  _seem_  cool. I am." Jean retorted. "And look at your nose, it's turning red!"

Marco crossed his eyes to try seeing his nose, "So it is!"

"Rudolph."

"Santa."

It took him a second, and once they came to a halt in front of the barn doors, Jean raised an eyebrow at Marco, "…Are you… saying that I'm a plump old man?" he asked.

"Yeah! That's exactly what I'm saying!"

"Y-you're the one with love handles!"

"W-what?!" Marco asked, blushing uncontrollably.

"…" Jean blushed a bit as well, only just realizing what he'd said. He wasn't supposed to ever let Marco know that he knew that about him.

The horses started neighing loudly, and Marco turned his full attention to the barn. He quickly opened one of the doors and jumped when he saw a family of raccoons scurrying through the barn.

"Darn it! I thought the man who came a few days ago caught these guys!"

Jean came up behind Marco and looked over his shoulder. The moment he laid eyes on the raccoons he grinned. "Heheh, they're like robbers."

"Yeah, when we leave carrots and apples for the horses, they come in and steal them!" Marco said, then rushed inside and scared them all. They scared him by running through his legs, and Jean jumped backwards, almost falling on his rear end in the process, when they scrambled out the barn doors.

"Jeez! Little creeps!" he shouted.

He turned and saw Marco petting one of the horses and shook his head. He was trying to comfort  _the horses_? Raccoons must not have scared him. Considering he probably grew up tending to animals, maybe he just wasn't as easily startled like someone from the city. Though… this neighborhood wasn't very far from the city at all.

"Are you still cold?" Marco asked once all the animals were checked on and he and Jean came out of the barn.

"I wasn't cold to begin with."

"You said you were!"

"No, I said it was cold, not that  _I_  was cold."

"…You are so-"

"Awesome? Sexy? Intelligent? Take your pick from those."

"Hmm… how about-" The ringing of Marco's cell phone cut him off, and he pulled it out of his pocket. He grinned at Jean embarrassedly before turning away and answering it, "Hello?"

Jean rolled his eyes when he heard Tom's name, and he squinted at hearing Marco giggle as he spoke to him. From what he heard, they were talking about today and how things went. Marco then said Jean was here with him, making him feel a bit more confident.  _"Yeah, you haven't taken him from me completely."_  He thought.

"Alright. Well I'll talk later… Okay... Haha! Okay, okay… Bye, Tom."

Trying to seem uninterested and not like he'd listened to the whole conversation, Jean turned and looked up to the sky. There were so many stars shining on the canvas of navy that he felt like he was in outer space. He could try his best and never be able to count them all. Being away from the city and out in this vast countryside gave such a better view of the night sky that he was a bit jealous that Marco got to see this every night. For a moment, he prayed for his parents' sake. Hopefully they would be okay when he goes to see them tomorrow.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Marco asked, coming up beside Jean.

"Yeah, real beautiful."

"Jean…"

"Hm?" said man asked, turning his attention to Marco.

"Did you mean what you said…?"

"What's that? I say a lot of things."

"Do… you really think I'm beautiful?"

Jean was surprised to hear Marco ask that. He avoided eye contact and immediately started staring up at the sky again to hide his embarrassment, "Do you need me to think that?"

"What? No… I just… I thought about that the other day and-"

"You shouldn't worry about what everyone thinks about you, or you'll never be true to yourself. See the beauty in yourself and you won't need to hear it from others."

"…"

There was a silence between them for a while. Jean avoided looking at Marco, who he could tell he'd probably let down, and kept staring up at the sky. Of course he thought Marco was beautiful, but he couldn't tell him that again. He was so confused about it, anyway. That night he was pretty under alcohol's spell. Right now wasn't the time for him to be trying piece his inebriated utterances and actions together, as that would only confuse him more.

The fact that he thought he had a crush on Marco was confusing enough. Jean was straight. Always had been. But there was something about Marco that he couldn't resist—that he needed. And that was so confusing to him. Maybe whatever it was was the reason he came to him tonight instead of going to Marie. Marco was just easy to talk to and be around. Even he could tell his thick skin was no match around him. It's why he'd cried like a baby in front of the freckled-man twice now. "Hey, thanks for being here for me… I appreciate it more than I can say." Jean finally said, "And thanks for offering to let me stay, but I shouldn't. I've decided to go check on my parents tonight instead of waiting. Besides, I don't wanna inconvenience you in any way by staying here."

"Jean, it's not an inconvenience. Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, you've done enough for me. I'm a big boy, I can handle myself. But… thanks for being here for me all the time. I… I… uh… well… just… thanks…"

"You know I'll never turn you away, Jean. I'm always here for you."

"I know."

When Jean finally did decide to leave, Marco walked him to his car and smiled warmly at him, "Tell your parents I said hello when you see them." He said, his breath coming out with each word he said.

"Right." Jean said, then unlocked his door and got inside. "Have a good night, Marco. I'll text you tomorrow." After sticking the key into the ignition and starting his car, he turned the heat on full blast and put his hands over two of the vents.

"Night night." The freckled-man said, before heading back up the sidewalk to his front door. "Be careful, Jean." He breathed out into the cold air, then turned around and waved at Jean.

Jean gave a quick wave and then pulled off into the night. Thanks to Marco's encouragement and reassurance about his parents, he could make the trip to Sina to see them both  _alive_  and well.


	11. Warmest Winter Desires

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! This chapter couldn't have come at a better time!

Dead Week. Tuesday evening.

"Jean, you are being so helpful lately." Said man's mother said as she sat on the couch holding on to some white Christmas lights she'd been inspecting for faulty lights. "What's gotten into you?"

Standing over the fireplace and hanging stockings, Jean looked over to his mom and smiled, "Nothing really. I guess I'm just in the holiday mood." He said, then briefly let his eyes run over the cast on his mother's right arm.

"Well I'm glad you are! It's been so long since I've seen you so warm and open about things… especially now when your finals are next week."

There were only two weeks left in the semester. This week was study week where professors eased up on the assignments and started reviewing material for next week's exams. Thus, the second to last week before winder break was appropriately called Dead Week.

Jean stepped back from the fireplace and then stared at the Christmas tree his dad had brought home a few days ago that had yet to be decorated.

"Honey, don't worry about that. I'll take care of it. You go study."

"You sure?"

"Yeah I need to go get some new decorations from the store, anyway."

"Okay." Jean started going to his room, then looked down at Snuggles when he passed him in the hallway. "You sure didn't get hurt." He mumbled as the dog practically scampered on by.

When he got into his room, he closed the door and picked up his phone. Marie, Connie, and Eren had texted him. He and Marie had broken up just a few days ago, and it hurt more than he wanted to admit, but it was really for the best. Neither of them were really connecting with each other the way two people who were dating should, and he was definitely not as invested in what they had as she initially was. But at least now he had another cool female friend who he could occasionally game with. Once this semester was over, he was sure he wouldn't see her around as much.

Connie and Eren were both telling him to get online to play a campaign with them, and he told them both he didn't have time since he had to study a bit more for History.

Needless to say, it was a rather uneventful night.

* * *

The next day at school, Jean wondered where Armin was. It was Marco who had pointed out that he wasn't in class that morning.

At lunch, it became a bigger deal than it should have been.

"Armin  _skipping_   _class_?" Sasha said in total disbelief, "He must've had a good reason."

"Eren, were you horsing around with him and hurt him again?" Connie asked.

"No, he was fine this morning when the three of us left." Eren said defensively, then turned to Mikasa, "You've been quiet all day. Do you know what's going on?"

Mikasa looked down at her meal calmly before responding, "Armin knows who the person is who attacked everyone at dodge ball on that day."

There was a pause; a moment of complete silence in the group. All eyes were wide and focused on Mikasa, who didn't let the attention bother her in the least.

"What?!" Jean shouted.

Marco put his hand on Jean's shoulder, "Calm down, Jean."

"But… how could he… know who did it?"

"I don't know, and I wasn't actually supposed to say anything until the day was over." Mikasa said.

Eren was a bit confused, but he was also curious about what Jean was so upset about. "Oi, Kirstein." He got no reply, "Kirstein look at me you horse-face!"

"WHAT IS IT, EREN?" Jean asked.

"…Creepy face, man. Anyway, what are you so upset about?  _I'm_  the one who got attacked."

"Along with those other players… Levi's friends?" Connie added.

Marco stared at Jean while he started bickering with Eren and recalled the day the man had cried for him. At first he thought nothing of it… but now he was starting to reconsider that. Jean only had one reason to be as upset as he was now.

…

"Armin!" Connie shouted when he saw the boy at the end of the day. Everyone had been waiting for him in the parking lot at Mikasa's car, knowing that's where he'd eventually turn up since she was his ride.

"Guys, what are you all doing…? M-Mikasa, you told them?"

Mikasa lifted her scarf up over her lips and avoided looking at Armin.

"Who was the person who attacked us?" Eren asked.

"You should tell us instead of hiding it." Jean added.

"…They're talking to her now." The blonde mumbled.

"Who? Who's talking to who?" Sasha said.

"Erwin, Levi, and some police officers. They're talking to Annie."

Jean raised an eyebrow. "Annie?"

"Yeah."

"How did you know it was Annie? And why would she do something like that?"

"This is why I didn't say anything yet. I don't  _know_  why she did it… but I know how. I was originally suspicious of her after the attack when I saw her putting her booksack into the trunk of her car because I thought I saw a part of the 3D Maneuver Gear all the way in the back… Then just yesterday I saw her tossing a package into a dumpster… I got one of the custodians to get it for me… and it was the gear Marco always wore at dodge ball."

"Why… would she wait until now to get rid of it?" Jean asked.

"I don't know. I guess since the semester's about to be over she figured the trail she'd left was gone now… and we might not have caught her if I hadn't seen her trying to rid herself of the gear. I can only imagine that she had it cleaned so her fingerprints weren't on it anymore, then she was just going to let the janitors find the gear and bring it back to Erwin."

"So she wanted to put it all behind her like it never happened?" Connie said, squinting that Annie could do something like this.

"Eren, she seemed interested in you when she attacked. Do you have any idea why that is?" Armin asked.

"I… I don't know. I mean, I brag about my skills at dodge ball a lot… and…"

"And?"

"I… shit… I think I might've said a chauvinistic thing in front of her a long time ago pertaining to sports… But for her to attack me for it…"

"Eren, you baka! You're the reason she did it then!" Connie declared.

"Don't blame Eren, Connie. I know he can be foolish at times, but everyone has their flaws." Mikasa said in Eren's defense. Inside, she was a bit frustrated that Annie would take Eren seriously when he was bragging.  _No one_  took him seriously when he was bragging.

"I'm gonna go find her!" Jean said, but before he could do that, Marco grabbed him by the hand.

"Jean, don't do it. If Armin caught her, there's nothing else we need to do." The freckled man said.

"But she-"

"Think before you act, Jean." Mikasa spoke, "If you attack her for what she did, that won't make you any better than she is. The only way you could justify going after her was if she was currently coming after you. But it's all said and done now, so we should let the authorities deal with her."

Jean pulled his hand from Marco's grasp and walked off. "Marco, let's go." He said over his shoulder.

"Uh… coming!" Marco waved everyone off before following after Jean.

* * *

"Marco, I'm sorry for… getting mad and everything." Jean said when he pulled up in front of Marco's house. It had been a long and quiet ride up to that point.

"It's fine. I know you were upset because you're worried about me. But I'm a big boy, too. I don't need protecting."

Jean looked down at his steering wheel and sighed. When Marco didn't get out of the car, he turned to him. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing… I've just been meaning to tell you…"

"Tell me what?"

"Tom and I broke up."

Eyebrows flying up his forehead, Jean swallowed his saliva nervously before responding, "W-why?"

"He wanted sex and I wasn't ready for it with him. I did like him, but I knew I wasn't ever going to…  _love_  him. I thought giving him a chance would be nice, and that I wouldn't be used like I was in the past, but in the end all he really wanted was a sexual relationship."

"You said that to me before… how were you used? If you don't mind me asking…"

Marco looked at Jean with a somewhat sad look before replying, "Well, I liked this guy a long time ago. He was very cool, funny, and he seemed like someone I wanted to go out with. He told me he wanted to start our relationship on a night we got really drunk… which was also the same night we slept together. Turns out all he really wanted was to get with me then tell his friends about it… kind of forcing me out of the closet when word spread… He was a frat guy, so I guess I don't need to say much more than that. It was freshman year so I was naïve. But that's why I don't have sex or entertain the idea when I'm drunk."

"Marco…" Jean said, feeling pain for the man who was hiding his true feelings behind a fake smile.

"Tom wanted a relationship, but he wanted too much too fast. We were barely together for a few days before he wanted to have sex, you know. It's not like I don't want sex, I do! I just… want it with the right person at the right time."

"…I'm sorry about that. Are you sure he didn't hurt you?"

"Just my feelings a little. But I'm okay. We broke up a few days ago, so I've had time to bounce back and start moving on."

"Good as new, huh?"

"You could say that. Anyway, thanks for this. I needed to talk to someone about it."

"Any time. You know that."

"Yeah." Marco smiled, then sat there for a second as if meaning to say something else before he got out of the car. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jean."

"See you tomorrow." Jean said. Once Marco was in his house, he thought about getting out to go and talk to him, but decided against it. Marco needed time to fully recover.

* * *

Finals went by pretty smoothly for everyone, only giving false scares here and there, and winter break was upon them, marking the end of another semester. Jean saw a lot of people during the week leading up to Christmas. Particularly he hung out with Marco and Connie. Sasha, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin dropped by from time to time and they all played random video games or watched movies to chase the nights away. One day when they were all together, Historia and Ymir surprised them—well everyone but Connie, who had invited them to come over.

It was fun. And Jean was surprised at how many people he'd started to consider as his friends.

Christmas day.

"Morning honey!"

"Good morning." Jean said groggily as he came out from the hallway, rubbing his stomach and wiping his eyes.

"Are you going to open your presents?" Jean's dad asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah, what about you two?"

"We were waiting for you." His mom replied.

There was a decently-sized present with Jean's name on it, and when he opened it, his eyes went wide. "No way!" he shouted with a grin. Tearing the packing paper away, he saw the box for the PS4 and looked at his mom.

"We had a little extra money from the accident, so we decided we'd pick that up for you. You've been talking about it since it came out last month." The woman said.

"You'll have to buy the games, though." Jean's father said as he came out of the kitchen, "We didn't know which ones you would've wanted."

"This is more than enough! I can buy so many games with the money I'd been saving for this! Thanks you guys!"

Jean was genuinely happy that his parents had spent so much money on him. Apart from the game system, he received some clothes and a $50 gift card to a restaurant, that present came from his grandparents. They were coming over later today instead of staying for a week like they usually did.

For his mother, he had gotten her a gift card to a home accessories store because he knew she liked that kind of thing. He also got her a 6 month free pass to a massage parlor. For his father, Jean got him a new set of tools and also the first book in a new series that had come out that he knew the man wanted to read.

When all the gifts were opened, he eagerly took his PS4 into his room to set it up.

Connie and Eren were the first ones he texted about it.

 _I got 1 2 :P_  Connie replied.

 _Don't think ur better than me cuz ur not. Im getting one on the 27_ _th_ Eren said.

The next person he texted was Marco.

 _Oi what'd you get for Christmas?_ He asked.

Marco didn't reply right away, so he decided to start up his new system and get it set up. When he finished was when his phone vibrated.

_Lol I didn't get anything. I was bad this year._

_Are you serious?_

_Yeah Santa doesn't like me haha_

Jean stared at the message for a second, wondering if Marco was just teasing him. But he then told himself that Marco wasn't the kind of person to kid around like this.

 _Santa's not real. How come you didn't get anything?_ He typed, then clicked the send button.

_There are a lot of kids in my family and we only have so much money to go around. I'm an adult though, so I don't need presents to feel the Christmas spirit, silly._

Jean stopped what he was doing and went to his closet. There, he grabbed heavy clothes and put them on.

"Where are you going, Jean? Gran Gran and Grandpa will be here in a few hours." Jean's mother asked when she saw him going to the front door with his keys.

"I'm going out for a while. I'll see you later."

"Well don't be late. And be careful. It snowed and the streets are probably dangerous to drive on!"

* * *

It was Christmas day, so when Jean passed the mall and saw that it was open, packed to the brim with last-minute shoppers, he sighed. It was such a bother, but that's where he needed to go. He just needed to make a pit stop first.

The drive to Marco's house was a bit difficult because the roads had iced over on some parts. It also started snowing again, which was always great while driving.

When he reached his destination, Jean put his coat on and wrapped a scarf around most of his face before getting out of his car. He left it on because he didn't plan to be out of it for long. Up to the front door he walked and knocked it a few times. After about a minute, someone's shadow appeared in the glass panes beside the door, then it unlocked. It was a man who answered the door for him, one who looked a bit like Marco, only much older and without freckles.

"Can I help you?" the man asked.

"I'm here for Marco."

"Huh…? Hey, uh Marco! Someone says he's here for you!"

Marco came to the door quickly, dressed in a white Christmas sweater and brown corduroy pants. "Jean?" he said, looking said man in the eyes.

"Yeah, I came to pick you up. We're going to the mall."

Marco's brother, or who Jean assumed to be Marco's brother, started laughing when he heard that and then left the two of them in the doorway.

"It's cold. Do you want to come in?" Marco asked.

"No, now grab a coat and come on! I'm freezin' my balls off out here!"

Quickly, Marco grabbed a coat from the coat rack and then followed Jean out to his car. When they got in, he looked at the shorter man curiously, "Jean, why are we going to the mall on Christmas? It'll be packed… and don't you hate being in crowds?"

"I'm going to buy you a present." Jean replied, then pulled off into the winter snow.

* * *

"I have a question for you." Jean said as he concentrated on driving down the icy road.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you think so lowly of yourself?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You put yourself down, think you're not as important compared to the people around you, you hide your pain behind fake smiles from time to time, and you shy away when all the attention is on you. Why do you do those things? Do you really think you don't matter?"

Marco looked down to his hands, "Jean, I… I don't know… I didn't even realize I did those things. They just happen… but… I guess when you grow up with nine brothers and sisters, then add in some of their children, you start to feel… unimportant. Like your opinion will be easily overlooked. I've only ever been paid attention to when I'm with the animals. Every other time, it's like I barely exist…"

"Well I'm telling you now. You are important. You do matter to people… Everyone likes you, so you don't have to hide how you feel. Even your family pays attention to you. I saw the way a lot of them smiled at you on Thanksgiving. And about those fake smiles, you shouldn't use them around me! I don't wanna see you hiding how you really feel, okay?" Jean looked over and saw Marco look like he was tearing up. "O-oi, don't cry! Stop being so emotional!"

"I can't help it!" Marco said, then wiped his eyes. "You're always so good to me…!"

"Suck it up 'cuz we're here at the mall and I don't want people to think I did you something."

"I'm trying…" Marco sniffed while still trying to dry his eyes.

…

"I'm sorry, sir. All we have left in stock has been reserved by customers who bought their tablets online." The sales clerk at the Apple store said.

Jean slammed his hand down on the counter in frustration, "Are you kidding me?! They're not even here to take them! I'll pay you right now for one!"

"I can't do that. Store policy is store policy."

"Graagh!"

"Jean, it's fine, really. I don't even want a tablet."

"Let's go to another store!"

Marco sighed and followed Jean through the crowds of people in the store. Then he stood beside him while the shorter man looked around for another store to buy a gift from.

At some point during their outing, they wound up in a clothing store. None of the clothes were exactly what Marco would wear, but he was grateful that Jean was doing all of this for him. Seeing Jean look through the many, many clothes for something he thought Marco would like brought a small smile to his face. He even laughed when Jean climbed a ladder and pulled something from the top of a stack of folded sweaters, which caused the stack to fall onto him when he got back down.

Of course he helped him out of the mess. And they ended up running from a very angry manager who was shouting about how they shouldn't have been climbing ladders in the store in the first place.

Day soon turned to late evening and Jean hadn't managed to find a gift for Marco. He didn't want to settle on something that wasn't good, so clothes were out. Besides, buying clothes for Marco was hard work. No electronics were left in-stock, apart from the ones that were pre-ordered…

"I'm sorry about today…" Jean said in defeat as he drove Marco home. "It was a complete bust…"

"It's fine, really. Thanks for bringing me out, it was fun." The freckled-man said with a smile.

Most of the car ride back was filled with Christmas music that Marco insisted on singing along to. It puzzled Jean as to how he could seem so happy and carefree on Christmas when he hadn't gotten any presents.

"Marco, when was the last time you actually got a present?" he asked as he arrived at said man's neighborhood.

"Hmm, it's been a while. But like I said, for me, Christmas isn't about presents. Little kids look forward to that, and they're great memories, but I grew out of the need for presents."

Jean slowed down then stopped when he reached Marco's house. "Well, I'll see you later then."

"Good night, Jean. And thanks again for today."

"Night."

"Be safe getting home!" Marco called as he hurried to his front door.

Once he saw Marco get inside his house, Jean sighed and looked at the time. His light brown eyes went wide when he saw it was past eight.

"Shit, I'll never hear the end of this!" he shouted as he backed up and then turned around. He had to hurry and get home, but also be careful not to slip off the roads in the process.

* * *

Bertholdt laid comfortably on his couch and watched a Christmas TV special showing of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, not really feeling in the Christmas spirit. Ever since Annie was expelled from Maria University, he just hadn't been able to feel any happiness. He cared about her so much, and there was no doubt in his mind that he loved her.

While he heard she was taken in to Rose University on an athletic scholarship, he still felt regret. Had he been there for her more, maybe she wouldn't have gone down such a treacherous road.

Wherever his parents were tonight, they hadn't really been around to wish him Merry Christmas. They were probably in Wall Sina by now having a good time at one of their friends' holiday parties.

Today he'd been all alone, but it wasn't so bad. He did have presents… just no one to open them with.

Even Reiner hadn't called or texted, which was weird considering he always did on big days like these.

A knocking at his door made him look to it curiously and somewhat cautiously. It couldn't have been his parents. They were spending the night in a nice hotel instead of coming home.

Slipping on his slippers, he got up and walked over to the door. When he saw Reiner through his peephole, he quickly unlocked and opened it.

"Reiner! What are you doing here?"

"I need a place to stay for the night." The blonde replied.

"…"

"You're gonna make me sleep in my truck?"

"Well… it's a nice truck…"

"Move aside and let me in!" Reiner ordered, then walked right past the taller man into the warmth his house provided.

"Reiner, you can stay here, but you'll have to leave early tomorrow morning."

After opening his coat, Reiner pulled out an envelope. "Merry Christmas, Bertholdt." He said, before handing it to him.

"Thank you. I… I don't have a present for you. I didn't get to go shopping at all this year."

"It's cool. I don't care about presents since I didn't really get any as a kid."

Bertholdt felt a little bad at hearing that. He knew he should've gotten Reiner something, anything while there were still good presents to get. But his schedule this semester was a busy one where he didn't have as much free time.

When the television flashed white, he got a good look at Reiner's face and gasped. "Reiner, what happened to you?!"

The toned man rolled his shoulders indifferently, "I got in a fight with my dad."

"Look at you, you're a mess! This isn't okay."

"He has his issues and when he drinks, he  _drinks_. But I'm a tough guy and I've been dealing with him all my life. Besides, it's not like he got the best of me." Reiner said, lifting his hand and showing off his bloody knuckles.

Bertholdt left the living room quickly, causing Reiner to raise an eyebrow. When he came back, he had a first-aid kit in his hands.

After flipping the lights on, Bertholdt made Reiner sit on the couch, then knelt in front of him and opened the kit. The first thing he did was get a cotton swab and put some Peroxide on it. Then, he reached up and dabbed it against Reiner's bleeding lip.

Reiner blushed as he sat face to face with Bertholdt, who looked very serious as he cleaned him up. Once his lip, nose, and eyebrow were taken care of, he tried hiding his hand from the other. His knuckles were busted and bleeding, and he didn't want to feel the sharp pain of Peroxide on them.

Bertholdt took his arm and pulled it out, then gently treated it. He first rinsed it off with a bottle of water, then cleaned it with Peroxide, apologizing sincerely for the pain. Lastly, he applied a thin layer of Neosporin to them, then wrapped them with gauze.

"Reiner… I know you're strong… but you don't deserve to have to fight every time your dad gets drunk."

"Well it's better than when I was a kid. I couldn't defend myself then. I'm different now, though. And I plan to move out once I get that promotion at work."

"That's good."

"Yeah, I'll probably end up in a studio apartment or something, but having my own place is better than living under my old man's roof. That's why mom left all those years ago… I don't blame her, either."

"Um… …Do you want something to eat? I can make you something."

"Nah…" Reiner declined, though the idea of Bertholdt cooking for him was a tempting one.

Bertholdt stood up and said he was going to take the first aid kit back to the bathroom. When he came back from getting it, he saw the lights were out and Reiner was lying on the couch, watching the movie.

Just before he went back into the living room to sit down, he went into his room and grabbed the extra set of blankets from his closet.

"What's that for?" Reiner asked.

"For you."

"Oh…"

Bertholdt walked over to the couch and dropped them onto Reiner, then decided he was going to his room for the night. He had grown a little tired from sitting around all day. Before he could step away though, his wrist was grabbed and he was swiftly pulled down on the couch. "Reiner…?" he exhaled in confusion.

"Bertholdt, you've wanted to know for so long who it is I like. The person I want the most in this world isn't Christa, it's you."

Bertholdt's eyes grew and his mouth was slightly open as he stared at the blonde in shock and disbelief.

Reiner took advantage of that and leaned in to press is lips against his friend's. Bertholdt backed away, but Reiner still had him by the wrist. They both wound up on the floor with Reiner pinning the taller man down, using his weight to do so. He was so tired of waiting; so tired of hiding his feelings.

For so long he'd been there for him. They practically grew up together, so it was only fitting. All the times he'd been a rock for Bertholdt to cry on, one that often times told him to be a man and cut the waterworks, weren't something he could easily forget. This person… this  _precious_  person beneath him was his to protect. Over the years, even as the other grew taller than him, Reiner found himself unable to imagine life without his gangling companion. Seeing his calm and reserved face was quite soothing after dealing with the other brutes he was so similar to on the football teams he played for, not to mention his father's face... His feelings had been developing for many long years only to be hidden away under an almost brotherly guise.

But now it was time to let Bertholdt know just how much he wanted him.

With heavy-lidded eyes, he leaned down and got close to Bertholdt. He could smell his intoxicating and it only increased his want to be with him. Gently, he kissed Bertholdt's top lip and did not pull away.

"Reiner st-stop… pleease…" Bertholdt pleaded against said man's lips.

"I'll stop if you push me away…" Reiner breathed out in one smooth breath, then released Bertholdt's hand. He felt two hands press against his chest, then he felt them go from pushing him to grabbing hold of his shirt. "Wouldn't this be something for your neglectful parents to walk in on?" he whispered, then kept kissing Bertholdt tenderly. The feeling his soft lips brought was incredible, something he'd wanted to feel for a long time.

"…"

"Every person has their weaknesses, and you're mine… you've always been my only one… because I can't resist you." Reiner said heavily, then ran his hands up the taller man's warm torso to feel the soft skin he'd longed to caress for so long. "I won't do anything to hurt you… I just want to stay with you tonight."

"I… already said you could stay…" Bertholdt said, then gently pushed Reiner away. "I… I'll see you in the morning…" he continued as he stood up and headed to his room.

Reiner got up and followed after him, but just before he could enter the bedroom, the door closed in his face. He grinned and put his hand against its surface, knowing full well that he'd just turned Bertholdt's world on its head. "Good night, Berry-chan." He said, using a nickname he'd given Bertholdt back in grade school.

Although he got no response, he knew Bertholdt was probably in his room burning through his clothes from how hot he'd just gotten him. But this was only the beginning. He was going to get his berry eventually, and he'd make sure to cover him in cream when he did.

* * *

Lying with his hands behind his head and one of his legs crossed over the other under his blankets, Jean stared up at the white and brightly glowing moon through his window (since his sunroof was covered in snow), wondering how Marco could've been so content with getting nothing today. Sure, sentiments were nice, but presents were also a sentiment.

With a somewhat forlorn look on his face, he pulled his phone out from under his pillow and texted him.

 _You really are okay with getting nothing?_ He asked.

It took Marco a few minutes to reply, but he did.  _Huh? I was falling asleep. U woke me up u goose!_

_Gomen ne, I just hate that you didn't get anything for Christmas_

_I got something unexpected that I wanted_

_And what was that?_

_You_


	12. For a Long Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!

Lying with his hands behind his head and one of his legs crossed over the other, Jean stared up at the white and brightly glowing moon through his window, since his sunroof was covered in snow, wondering how Marco could've been so content with getting nothing today. Sure, sentiments were nice, but presents were also a sentiment.

With a somewhat forlorn look on his face, he pulled his phone out from under his pillow and texted him.

 _You really are okay with getting nothing?_ He asked.

It took Marco a few minutes to reply, but he did.  _Huh? I was falling asleep. U woke me up u goose!_

_Gomen ne, I just hate that you didn't get anything for Christmas_

_I got something unexpected that I wanted_

_And what was that?_

_You_

* * *

The dimness of his phone screen couldn't have been any blindingly brighter as Jean stared at the message Marco had sent him. Had his phone been on full brightness, he was sure he would go blind. Glancing over that three-letter word many times over didn't convince him that what he was seeing was real.

You

_You_

Y-O-U

"What do you mean by that, Marco? You wanted  _me_  as a present?"

Jean's heart was beating much faster than it normally did as he held on to his cell phone. Before he could reply, it vibrated and his messages icon displayed a 1.

_Good night, Jean. Btw, I'm going to Wall Rose tomorrow with my sister for a few days. I wasn't expecting to see u for a while (u surprised me today!) so sorry I didn't tell u._

Eyes going wide and heart beating faster, if that was possible, Jean quickly hit the reply button.

_Wait! Tell me what you meant before!_

_When I see u again, I'll tell u._

_So when do you come back?_

_New Years Eve_

Jean's heart dropped. Marco was going to make him wait a whole SIX days before they could talk about this?

_Tell me now. I can't wait that long :(_

_Impatient are we? Lol. Jean I'll tell u soon. I promise. We can talk when I come back_

_What if I come to your place early tomorrow? bEfore you leave?_

_Just wait for a bit, kay? We'll have lots to talk about for the New Year._

_Don't make me wait_

_Night night, Jean. I'll see u in a few days._

Jean sighed and closed his eyes. For a few seconds, he laid in place wanting nothing more than to be with Marco again so they could talk. There were so many things he wanted to tell him, none of which he wanted to do over the phone. But he didn't want to wait either. He could get up and go to his house now, but it was really late, and there was supposed to be a hard freeze tonight.

_Be careful on the road tomorrow, okay?_

_I will, even tho I wont be driving lol. Thank you Jean_

_Night._

_G'night._

And that was the last thing Jean got from Marco before he turned his phone off and put it under his pillow. After closing his eyes, he turned onto his side and stared out at the navy night sky sprinkled with stars. Really, all he wanted was for Marco to just be beside him.

* * *

The next morning.

For Bertholdt, last night had been rather restless.

Reiner had admitted to him how he'd felt for so long, and it came as a surprise to him. Reiner was an amazing guy, very strong and inspirational at times, but he was… he was Reiner. A guy. Someone Bertholdt cared a lot about, but wasn't exactly in love with. Though, last night had certainly showed him a side of the man he'd never seen before.

Sitting up and looking at the clock on his desk, he saw that it was after nine. Hopefully Reiner was gone and his parents weren't back yet. Not that they were suspicious of his sexuality or anything, as he gave them no reason to be, it was just he didn't want his parents knowing he had company over while they were out. It was childish, but they set certain rules for him and he was expected to follow them until he moved out.

Pulling his sheets back and getting off his bed, he crept out of his room and down the large hallway. When he got to the living room, he saw Reiner still slumbering soundly on the couch. He walked over to him, intending to wake him, but stopped when he reached the man.

Reiner was sleeping so peacefully there on his back.

It must have been like heaven, coming here and getting away from his father.

Bertholdt heard something outside and jumped. Rushing over to the front window, he saw his parents getting out of their car and his heart started racing. Thankfully Reiner had parked in someone else's driveway, but there was no way to get him out now.

Quickly, the tall man went over to the couch and started picking up on the heavy man. It was a futile attempt, and he almost gave up until Reiner started stirring.

"Reiner, wake up! You need to go to my room fast!" he said.

Reiner scratched his stomach with one hand and rubbed his eyes with the other, "You want me in your room?"

"Yes, now hurry! Please!"

With a sleepy grin and red cheeks, Reiner got up and slowly walked to Bertholdt's room. When the locks started clicking, Bertholdt pushed the heavier man so he would move faster down the hallway.

The two of them made it into his room just in time, as his parents came inside and made a bit of a ruckus. They were obviously still restless from last night, as was he.

He locked his door then walked over to and took a seat on his bed, wondering just what he could possibly do in this predicament. Surely his mother and father would both leave together at some point today. That would be the best time to sneak Reiner out. He had little time to think, because Reiner walked over to and then fell on top of him.

"Reiner, get off! You're heavy!" he whispered.

"I wanna sleep like this." Said man replied, then closed his eyes and ran his hands up Bertholdt's slender torso.

"Reiner…"

"Berry-chan…"

Bertholdt closed his eyes and sighed. At least his parents wouldn't come into his room, and they probably wouldn't come looking for him for a while. Against his better judgment, he lifted his arms and then rested his hands on Reiner's head, rubbing his soft, short hair soothingly. If nothing else, he could at least not be someone who constantly pushed Reiner away when he so clearly needed someone to be close to. All their lives, he'd been the strong shoulder Bertholdt had to lean on. But it's impossible for emotionally strong people to  _never_  break down and need someone to lean on themselves. Now it was time to return the favor.

"I'm here, Reindeer."

"I want to stay here with you for a while, Berry-chan." Reiner whispered as he buried his nose in the small of Bertholdt's neck.

Bertholdt closed his eyes and started synching his breath to match Reiner's and he eventually fell asleep beneath him. It didn't occur to him that he had an easier time falling asleep like this than he did last night.

* * *

"Damn it…" When he found himself less interested in his new game system, or any of the other presents he'd gotten, for the desire to be around Marco, Jean couldn't help but mope around for most of the morning. His mother asked him what was wrong, which made him realize he actually was moping around, but he told her he was just fine.

It was like nothing could get his attention, though. Not television, not any of the movies he had, not his game, nothing. All he wanted was to see that freckle-faced friend of his. It had gotten to the point where he even considered going to Wall Rose just to see him.

He was sure Marco would lecture him if he did though, and decided against it.

After a while of just lying around in his bed, he felt the need to verbalize what he was feeling. It needed to be said out loud, but not here where his parents could overhear. And certainly not over the phone to Marco…

Jean sat up and got off his bed to put on some heavy clothes, then headed out of the house when he was dressed, making sure to tell his parents he loved them… awkwardly.

* * *

Sitting in a warm hotel lobby that was lit mainly by the blazing fire in the fireplace, Marco sipped some hot chocolate from his mug and looked out the window where there was snow falling. There was so much of it that all he could see was white and that tinge of blue that is often the shades of shadows cast in snowy weather.

"Marco, what did dad say to you before you left?" Susie asked as she came into the lobby with her own mug of hot chocolate.

"About what? He told me a lot of things." Marco replied.

"About Oliver."

"Oh, he just said for me to make sure he's taking good care of you while you're pregnant."

" _Really_?"

Marco jumped at his sister's suspicious gaze, "Y-yes! Dad just wants you to be taken care of! You know how dads are with their daughters. He's that way with Marlene, Leah, and Janie, too."

"…I wish he would give it a rest already… Oliver is a great man."

"Don't worry, I'll calm him down when I get back home."

"Thanks Marco." Susie said, then seemed to remember something. "Oh God, I left the rice cooking!" she exclaimed, then hurried as fast as a pregnant woman could to get to the elevator.

Marco was here, along with Susie, Thomas, and Marlene, just to make the renovations that Oliver was having done to his and Susie's house a smoother transition. Hence, they were all currently staying at this nice hotel. Making the renovating transition smoother included tending to Susie while Oliver was at work. Since Marlene was already up in the room, Marco decided he would let her take care of Susie and her cooking.

The fireplace was very warm, much warmer than the rest of the already heated hotel, and he loved it.

"Marco?"

Said man turned and was a little surprised to see Armin and Mikasa at the front desk.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?" he asked.

Armin finished his business with the clerk, then he and Mikasa walked over to Marco, "We're just visiting Hannes-san." The blonde replied.

"Just you and Mikasa?"

"Oh, Eren's here too. He's just out visiting Levi… who I think was visiting Erwin… who was here to see someone with a strange name… Pixis? It's confusing, but I kind of think Erwin and Levi are… um…  _together_ …"

Mikasa pulled the scarf up over her nose and took a seat in the chair across from Marco.

"It's nice seeing you guys." Marco smiled.

Armin took a seat on the floor between Marco and Mikasa before speaking, "You too. What are you doing here?"

"Visiting family."

"Oh. You know, for a second, I was half expecting you to say you and Jean were here for some privacy." Armin teased.

Marco blushed and looked anywhere but at Armin, or the gazing Mikasa. "N-no. What makes you think that would be the case?"

"Well, you  _did_  break up with Tom." Mikasa's muffled voice came from under her scarf.

"And it's obvious you like Jean. Not to mention you seemed very surprised to see people you knew here." Armin added.

"… I'm here with family."

Armin's cobalt eyes met Marco's dark brown ones and the right side of his face was lit by the fire's warm glow, "Have you talked to Jean?"

"About what?"

"Don't be coy. We all know you like him."

"N-no… I don't…"

"Marco, you're blushing." Mikasa stated. She was smiling. Her mouth was hidden, but the look in her eyes gave it away.

"Armin, didn't you have a crush on Jean before?" Marco asked.

"That was a long time ago. Now I just think about how he and Eren would argue, and it makes me want to stay far away from him." The boy grinned.

"…"

"Don't change the subject, Marco. You need to admit how you feel about him to yourself, or you won't be able to admit it to him." Mikasa commented, then turned her attention to the fire.

"I…"

"Say it."

Marco closed his eyes in defeat. "Okay, okay! I do. I like Jean. I like him a lot. ...I already admitted that to myself a long time ago. And… I was gonna tell him, but now I'm so nervous about it."

"Why are you nervous?" Armin asked.

"Well, Jean is straight. I mean, we did… kind of hook up once…" Marco said, then noticed the surprised looks that immediately found their way to Mikasa and Armin's faces, "but we both had a lot to drink that night! We haven't talked about it since, and I think that may be for the best."

Armin was still very surprised, "You and Jean-"

"It was  _once_ , and we were pretty drunk."

"Drunk or not, it's something important." Mikasa stated, "Besides, you know alcohol brings out people's innermost desires that are usually inhibited by conscious barriers."

"That's right!" Armin said with a smile. "I don't think it just came out of nowhere."

Marco put his now empty mug on the table beside him and felt himself growing hot. "Jean… he's a friend… but since we met, we've really been close… I mean, he comforts me as best he can, he cares about me, and he's always looking out for me. I know I can be myself around him."

Leaning back and resting on his hands, Armin smiled, "You should tell him how you feel."

"I planned on doing it once I got back home."

"Why did you have trouble telling us, then?" Mikasa asked. "Surely you couldn't tell him the way you are."

"I guess I'm still nervous about it. And I didn't know exactly what to say, but it was good telling you guys first. Now I'm feeling more confident. If… if I'm truthful, I don't just like Jean, I'm in love with him. I've never felt so strongly about anyone before, and the thought of ruining our friendship scares me. So I just haven't said anything to him about it."

"Sometimes, you have to go for broke. But you know, I'm not a hundred percent, but…" Armin paused for a second, "I think he might feel the same way. I mean, he treats you so differently than he treats the rest of us. And he smiles a lot around you, too."

"I think if you tell him everything you told us you'll be fine. I doubt Jean is the kind of person to turn you away because you have feelings for him." Mikasa added.

"Right." Marco said with a smile.

* * *

"Oi, Connie! Open up! It's freezing out here!" Jean shouted as he banged on said boy's front door and rang the doorbell.

He'd been waiting outside in the blistering snow for about five minutes, holding himself tightly to try keeping warm. The thought of Connie with those stupid headphones on his head made him angry. If that's what was taking so long to-

The locks started unlocking and the door opened, revealing Sasha.

"Jean?"

"S-Sasha? What are you doing here?" Jean asked, just as confused as she was.

"I'm playing a game with Connie. Though I had just stopped to use the bathroom and get a snack."

As he was let inside, Jean took his coat off and stood in the foyer for a moment, "What is Connie doing? Why didn't he answer the door?" he asked.

"He got a new set of noise-cancelling headphones-"

"I knew it!"

"Yeah, sorry we didn't hear you. He let me use his old set."

"Where is he?" Jean said quickly, then headed up the stairs and went straight for Connie's room.

"Wait!" Sasha said as Jean opened the door.

Connie was sitting at the foot of his bed in his underwear, definitely playing his new PS4.

Sasha shook her head and Jean raised an eyebrow so high he thought it would fly off his forehead.

Connie turned around and quickly blushed. "Jean, what the heck are you doing here?!"

"Never mind that, what are you doing in your  _underwear_?!"

"It's hot in here, and my parents don't want me messing with the new thermostat."

"You can sit around half-naked in front of Sasha, but when another guy comes in you start getting nervous?"

"Dude, Sasha's seen me  _naked_  before. It's no big deal."

"Can you put some clothes on? I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" Connie asked as he reached down to the floor and grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

"Stuff…"

Sasha stepped back nonchalantly, "Well, I guess I'll just go get a snack."

"No, I need a woman's advice, too." Jean said.

…

Jean looked at Sasha and Connie with a death glare. "If either of you tell a single soul, when I die, I swear I'll come back and make you wish you were in hell. I won't give you a second's rest, and the exorcists won't even be able to stop me."

"Heh, I knew it all along." Connie said, his grin couldn't have been any larger on that big head of his.

"… Look, I… I'm confused as hell. I shouldn't have a crush on a guy."

"It's Marco, what's wrong with that?" Sasha asked.

"Marco is a  _guy_. I like girls."

"Dude, we all know you like him, too. We were just waiting for you two derps to get together. But jeez, you two are so lame it's taken a whole semester for that to happen."

"What?"

Sasha pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, "Well, be honest, Jean. You didn't really hang out with anyone until you met him. And now you smile a lot, you take him home so he won't have to ride the bus, and you even go to dodge ball. That's a pretty noticeable change."

"And the way you two act is suggestive of how a husband and wife act… Just… at times, you're the husband, and then at other times, Marco is the husband…" Connie said, trying not to confuse himself as he spoke.

"How long have you guys known?" Jean asked.

"Forever." Sasha smiled.

"…Was it that obvious?"

"Not really at first. I mean, you two just seemed like friends until you started dating Tom and Marie." Connie replied.

"Yeah, that surprised us all." Sasha agreed, "It came out of nowhere and some of us were even upset about it. You two are perfect for each other."

"When those two came into the picture,  _that's_  when it got obvious. You stared Tom down all the time when he wasn't looking, and Marco always looked at you like he was depressed when Marie was around. How did you two never notice this?"

Jean looked down to the carpeted floor in embarrassment. He had no idea he was so obviously throwing daggers at Tom when he was around. But he didn't want the guy with Marco. Was that so wrong?

Sasha started slowly rocking back and forth in her bundled position on the bed. "Are you planning to tell Marco how you feel?"

"I don't know. I mean, I want to. Y-yeah. I… I will tell him."

"Tell me what you're going to say."

Blushing and averting his gaze, Jean started mumbling, "I don't know… I uh… I have a huge rush-I mean crutch. Dammit…"

Connie shook his head, but Sasha smiled, "Do you get flustered around him a lot?"

"…No, just when we're kinda close…"

"And do you stumble over your words, or say the wrong ones?"

"Yeah… at times when we're not lecturing each other."

"Hm. I think it may just be  _more_  than a crush."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really?" Connie asked.

"Well, you're obviously protective of Marco. Take the dodge ball thing for example. You had no reason to be mad since nobody you liked, like Mikasa, got hurt. Nobody except Marco, that is. You wanted to hurt Annie for that, right?"

"…I guess. I don't know. I was just pissed."

"You were mad because Marco got hurt. Armin said you were really upset and holding him protectively. So that's proof right there. Then we can go back further and say you want to keep him safe from harm by bringing him home every day. You don't have to, and it's definitely gas on your part to do it, but you do anyway. You don't want him to be inconvenienced by taking the bus home, or run the risk of him getting hurt by someone. And then the best example was when Tom started teasing Marco about his freckles. I saw how upset that made you. We can all tell Marco is self-conscious about them, but you seem like you know more than we do."

"So you're saying-"

"You're in love with your partner in derp." Connie interrupted, then picked up his joystick to resume his game since the cat was finally out of the bag.

"I bet your heart's beating fast right now." Sasha said.

It was true. Jean felt warm, then he felt hot, then he felt as if someone was stabbing him with needles all over. "I…"

"Say it."

"I'm… shit…" This was hard for Jean, but he wasn't going to be able to say it to Marco if he couldn't say it here. "I… I fucking  _love_  Marco."

"No." Sasha stated seriously.

Jean raised an eyebrow, "What? I said it."

"Not  _just_  love…" the girl said, leading him.

"O-oh… I'm… I'm  _in_  love with Marco."

"Now are you gonna tell him?" Connie asked.

"Why not? I've been going crazy for him for a long time now. I have to take a chance to make him mine."

"Or let him make you  _his_." Connie said over his shoulder with a suggestive look.

Jean gasped and got so hot in the face that he had to turn away to hide his embarrassment, "That's no one's concern but his and mine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me for making you guys wait another chapter. It was just how I planned this out, and this chapter was very fun to write. Many of you are getting restless, I know. And as I know many of you adore JeanMarco, how are you feeling about the ReinerBert (for those of you who haven't commented on them yet)?
> 
> On to my announcement: I'm glad it's finally 2014 because I've been planning and writing two other JeanMarco fics, which will come one after the other once this fic is completed. Oh, I'm so excited ^^


	13. I've been in Love with You

Upon getting back home in Wall Maria with his other siblings who had gone with him to stay with Susie, Marco greeted Maggie as he entered his house with the blistering winds following him into the foyer. She was incredibly excited to see him, but her attention was soon divided when the others entered the house.

Marco smiled and headed on his way up to his room, then after unpacking his things from his luggage, he sat down on his bed and pulled out his phone. Jean hadn't texted him all day and he was starting to wonder if he was okay.

 _R u okay?_  He typed, then after deciding that was the best thing to send, he sent it.

There was no reply, and so he figured maybe the man had something going on. When he got up to grab some clothes to change into after he took his shower, he heard his phone's message tone.

_I was sleeping. Are you back?_

_So late in the evening? It's like ten o'clock_  Marco replied with a grin.

_Yeah, sue me._

_I'm back btw. I just got home._

_okay_

_If you want, you can come over tomorrow and hang out_

This time, no response came. Marco waited for about fifteen minutes, just sitting around and waiting, but when he figured Jean had gone back to sleep, he got up, picked up his t-shirt and pajama bottoms, and then headed to the bathroom.

Drawing a large tub of hot water, he wasted no time stepping into it. It had been very cold outside, and just being out there for less than ten seconds had his hands and face feeling a little frosty. The feeling of the sudden extreme heat made him feel like his feet were being touched by hot ice, but he toughed it out until it subsided and the warmth was pleasing.

Tonight, he had the feeling he should wash his hair, so he did. After lathering his hair with shampoo, he let it sit for a bit and then submerged everything except his face beneath the water.

" _I wonder if I should just_ tell _Jean to come see me tomorrow…"_  he wondered as he stared up at the plant in the corner on the wall his mother had put in the bathroom a few days ago.

"Marco, stop hogging the bathroom!" he heard Marlene's voice come from the hallway, muffled a bit by the water.

"I've only been in here for like three minutes…!"

"Hurry up!  _Some_  people want to go out and have a life tonight!" Marlene said, her voice fading as she walked away from the door.

Marco sunk completely under the water and blew a few bubbles in slight irritation. Sisters always demand so much time in the bathroom…

After bathing, quickly, he got out of the tub, dried off, put on his pajamas, and then left the bathroom. Marlene stared him down, then flipped her long black hair at him as she entered the bathroom and closed the door behind herself.

When he got back into his bedroom, Marco closed the door and walked over to his bed. Jean hadn't texted him back. But that was okay. They could always talk later.

Once he was snuggled under his covers, he pulled the book off of his night stand and opened it to where his bookmark was. It was New Years Eve, so knowing the people inside the capital would be doing a countdown around midnight, he turned the television on and let it become background noise while he read.

Not long into his reading, he heard something nick at his window. He ignored it, assuming it was nothing, but he heard the same noise three more times. It couldn't have been a coincidence. Beside him, his phone started vibrating and ringing. Picking it up, he saw that Jean was calling him. He wasted no time in answering it.

"Marco, open your window!"

Throwing his covers back, Marco hurried over to his window, moved the curtains out of the way, and then pulled the string so the blinds would rise.

Standing with his hands in his pockets and shivering in the yard, Jean had an angry look on his face that was red from the cold.

"JEAN!" he shouted. Jean quickly went over to the lattice along the side of the house and then started climbing it. Marco helped him into his room when he got to the window. "What are you doing here?!" he asked him.

"I came to see you! I roughed this below freezing weather just to come here!" Jean replied, and then pulled his hands out of the gloves so he could blow his warm breath on them. He was shivering a bit, so when he heard the window close to shut the cold out, he felt warmer almost immediately.

Marco rushed over to his closet and opened it. After finding a big blanket on the top shelf, he pulled it down and walked over to Jean. "Jean, you should have just waited until it was warmer to come here." He said, then made the shorter man sit down on the bed with it wrapped over his shoulders.

Jean only moved back so he was leaning with his back up against the wall and tried relaxing.

Taking a seat on the floor, Marco relinquished his bed to Jean and started watching the New Years Eve festivities. He figured he should just give Jean some time to warm up. Though, it wasn't long into watching the performances that he felt something nudge his shoulder. Turning, he saw Jean pulling his foot back under the blanket. "What is it?" he asked him.

"…" Jean avoided making eye contact.

"Are you okay? Do you need something hot to drink? I think we have hot chocolate and coffee. Coffee would be good so you can be awake on the road."

"…Marco…"

"Hm?"

"…Come sit up here with me."

Marco sat in silence for a second, but got up and then sat on the bed, making sure to leave some distance between himself and Jean. "Are you paying attention to the show? The countdown is about to start." He smiled.

Jean turned his attention from the man's freckle-filled smile to the television. The crowd all grew quiet for a moment, then the cameras moved to the New Years hosts. They started talking about the year and then went on to discuss with each other what they wanted to go right in the New Year like diets and relationships. Then the countdown began.

Just as they were getting in the top five, Jean felt his phone vibrate.

Four.

 _Do it son! U missed my party so u might as well!_ Connie had texted.

Three.

 _Only if ur ready!_  Sasha's message came immediately after.

Two.

" _Shit…"_

One.

Jean blushed when the countdown finished and the camera focused on the crowd where many couples were kissing. Marco's family made quite the racket downstairs, shouting eagerly about the New Year. It made him wonder why Marco wasn't down there with them.

Something Marco had told him long ago, that he knew was painful for him even now, gave Jean the perfect thing to say. Leaning forward and coming out from under the blanket, he put both hands on Marco's shoulders and turned him around, "Marco…" he said firmly.

"Huh?" Marco asked with surprise and a bit of confusion on his handsome face.

"Don't think there's no one out there who wants to kiss you." Jean said, and then leaned forward and pressed his lips against the other man's gently. Marco was wearing chapstick, it seemed. Strawberry flavored. Very yummy.

Marco jumped at the initial contact, but any surprise he felt disappeared and was quickly replaced with happiness. Jean apparently meant for the kiss to be a simple one, but he had to try Frenching him. It fit the situation so perfectly.

Jean closed his eyes as he was laid down on the bed and kissed tenderly by Marco. He wound up lying on his back with Marco leaning over his left side with his tongue going on an adventure in his mouth. He was getting so worked up that he had to turn away and exhale heavily with an almost silent moan. When he did, he felt Marco move down to his neck and start sucking and biting it gently. "Mah…rucoh…" he breathed.

"Is this too much?" Marco whispered against his neck.

"No… I just… I want to talk to you…"

Marco stopped what he was doing and pulled away slightly so he was hovering just above Jean. "I want to talk to you as well." He said, his face looking very warm and flushed.

Jean reached up and wrapped his arms around Marco's neck, then pulled him into a hug. "There's a lot I want to tell you."

"I'm ready to hear it."

The smile that graced his face was impossible to fight, Jean thought. Something about Marco, something about the way he treated him, it always made him feel content.

With Marco lying on top of him and not looking him in the face, Jean felt like he could talk freely. Not that Marco had ever put him off from talking and being honest before… It was just different to bring up something like  _this_  up. It was very new to him because the only time he'd ever done something like this with someone before was with Mikasa; who was a  _woman_  and who also was very stark in contrast to Marco.

"Ma…ru…coh…" he breathed each syllable out slowly with his mouth right beside said man's ear, "I… You mean a lot to me." He spoke gently, starting out with what was easiest to say. "I didn't care about much about anything at all before this semester… And I was alone. But that day… On that day, you came in to class late and sat by me, that changed me. I was able to go out and make friends. I learned what it meant to have something to protect. We've had our disagreements from time to time, but I want you to know that I can't imagine my life without you being here in it anymore. If I went back to the way I was… I wouldn't be able to make it. Thank you for everything you've done for me. Thank you for coming into my life and showing me what living actually is. And also… most importantly, I… I love you, Marco."

Marco pulled back a bit and smiled, "Well, it wasn't just for you, you know. I'm glad I helped you become more social, and I'm glad you like having me around so much. But… if I'm honest, I've been in love with you for a long time now. It was partially for my sake as well. And everything we did together is in my heart. It'll all stay there forever. Jean, I want to be with you. …Just like you, I can't imagine what my life would be like without you now."

With red hot cheeks, Jean avoided eye contact, "You know, the others said we're idiots for taking so long to get together." He almost laughed.

"So we  _are_  together now?" Marco asked.

"Yeah." The smaller man nodded. The resulting smile he saw was so bright and innocent that he couldn't help but return it. No one had ever made him smile like this before. His heart raced fast, and when Marco laid down on top of him again, he felt his beating just as fast. "I don't want to go home tonight."

"Hhmmm?"

"I want to sleep here with you. Is that okay?"

Marco sat up and motioned for Jean to get off the bed. Then, he pulled the covers back and got under them, holding them up and leaving room for Jean to be able to sleep beside him. "Of course you can." He smiled.

Before getting into bed with his freckled boyfriend, Jean went and flipped the lights off since it was late and they were sure to fall asleep soon. Then, he walked back over to the bed and crawled under the blankets with Marco, who got close to him as soon as eh did. The two of them took a while to decide this, but Jean wound up spooning Marco. It wasn't a decision that was easily made though, as Marco said he wanted to hold Jean, but he settled for holding his hand with their fingers intertwined as they watched the New Year's festivities in the capital.

"Hey, Happy New Year Jean." He said over his shoulder.

"Happy New Year to you, too." Jean replied with his nose nestled in the nape of the larger man's neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The story certainly does continue. I'll see you all next chapter! And don't forget to leave a comment ^^


	14. Unconventional

Slowly but surely, Jean woke up and saw the sun's light flooding the room through the open blinds. He was a little too comfortable in Marco's bed, but he hadn't woken up the same way he fell asleep with Marco right in front of him. He sat up on his elbows and looked over to see Marco curled up against the wall, looking as snug as a bug in a rug. The thought of last night, the thought of what he'd told the man, made him smile a little.

This was it.

He and Marco were officially together now. That thought alone made him happier than he thought it would. He even told himself that Marco was his boyfriend a few times, basking in the amazing feeling it gave him.

Even though he was very content with his new relationship, he was also very nervous. Marco was a man. That was definite eight ways to Sunday. No matter how Jean thought about it, what they had was anything but conventional. Surely, they would have to tread the waters that were dating very slowly and carefully.

Despite his fears, Marco was lying just a few inches away from Jean, his tan skin practically begging to be caressed. But Jean had little to no experience with being  _tender_  with another human being. The thought of making an awkward move and ruining their first few moments together was a bit unnerving.

Marco yawned and turned so he was lying on his back, making Jean even more nervous.

Cautiously, he reached out his hand and rested it on Marco's arm, feeling the warmth he emitted. It was a simple gesture. Gentle even. He felt so innocent. More than anything, he wanted Marco to wake up, but he'd feel bad if he woke him.

When dark brown eyes slowly fluttered opened and stared right at him, Jean was so surprised that he jumped and consequently fell off the bed.

"J-Jean! Are you okay?" Marco asked, rushing to look over to the edge of his bed.

Rubbing his back and blushing from complete embarrassment, Jean avoided looking into Marco's eyes. "Yeah…"

"You sure?"

"I am."

Smiling, Marco tossed his legs over the side of the bed and then stood up. He made sure to offer his hand to Jean, who took it and stood up as well. "Do you want to stay for breakfast? If my parents aren't hung over from the party they had, I'm sure there's something cooking." he said innocently.

"…Um… I uh… sure, I-I guess." Jean replied with more awkwardness than he'd ever realized he was capable of.

"Okay, well I'll go see what's going on downstairs. You can lay down or watch tv, whatever you feel like doing." The freckled-man said while smiling and headed over to the bedroom door. "I'll be right back."

"Kay." Jean nodded. After Marco left, he stayed on the floor for a few seconds and took the chance to look around Marco's room. Everything was neat with only a few things out of place, but overall it was a clean room. This came as no surprise to him that Marco kept his things this way. In class, he was just as neat. His handwriting, his binders and notebooks, even his pencils, pens and erasers were neat in that pencil bag he had.

While Marco obviously had his own insecurities, it was clear he had far more good qualities than bad ones. In fact, he had no memorable bad qualities at all.

Jean on the other hand…

With his many personality faults, his incredibly lame sense of humor, and how easily his temper flared, Jean wondered what it was that Marco saw in him. Why did he feel the way he did for him?

A knocking at the door made the man look to it and feel like he'd lost his vocal cords.

"It's me. Can I come in?"

It was Marco. "Yeah!" Marco came into the room with two trays of food in his hands. Jean immediately got up to help him, and was offered one of the trays.

"I hope you don't mind the bacon be a little overcooked… My dad wasn't paying attention to it." The freckled-man said with a laugh.

"It's fine. Better than my mom's." Jean replied with a grin.

Their breakfasts consisted of grits and cheese, bacon, eggs, toast, apple juice, and bananas. It felt very country to Jean. His mom usually made toast and eggs to accompany pancakes. That was a good morning. If he was in a hurry to leave, or if his mom had a busy day ahead of her, Jean usually ate Pop Tarts on his drive to get Marco.

Marco took a seat at his desk with his food and turned to Jean. "You can sit on the bed." He said.

"You sure? I'm a messy eater. I've even been called a pig before." Jean told him with a smirk.

"Mhm. I need to wash those sheets today, anyway."

"Alright."

As they ate breakfast in silence, Jean was very thankful that the tv was on and playing a decent movie. He wanted to talk to Marco, but he couldn't think of what to say. Since he'd long since accepted that he was a sociopath, talking to people just wasn't something Jean was good at. Marco seemed totally unbothered by the silence between them though, which was good.

If there was one thing Jean knew, it was that even when he didn't exactly have much to say to Marco, just being with him was enough to satisfy him. It had never been like this for him with anyone, even Mikasa.

"…Uh… So… I came here last night to ask you…" he began very, very awkwardly when he was finished eating.

"Hm?" Marco hummed right after putting the last of his food into his mouth.

"On Christmas when you said you got me and that's what you wanted…"

Marco blushed and looked down to the floor. After quickly chewing and swallowing the last of his food, he made nervous eye contact with Jean, "Well… just spending that day with you was nice. I didn't need a present that was store-bought, and I told you that. But you going out of your way for me…" he paused and stood up then walked over to the bed, "It made me feel special… like someone valued how I felt. And the person I love so much was trying his best to make me happy  _actually_  made me happy."

Jean's heart started racing rapidly when Marco got close to him. He grew incredibly warm when he felt Marco's soft lips press up against his cheek tenderly. "It was nothing…" he mumbled. It was really anything but, and he knew that very well now.

It seemed like Marco wasn't going to move too fast in their relationship. But of course he wouldn't. Marco wasn't the type of person to make someone uncomfortable for any reason, even if it meant his own discomfort. Not necessarily the best trait he had, but it did say what an amazing man he was.

"I…"

Marco took a seat on the floor in front of Jean. "It's a strong word to use… but I hated seeing you with Marie, you know. I never wanted to tell you that, though." He said with an air of innocence, yet also as if it was some big secret he was incredibly guilty of.

"Well! I wasn't happy that you were with that Tom guy!"

"He wasn't so bad. He was just too pushy about sex."

"…"

"I don't just bottom though. And he didn't like that."

Jean felt his temperature skyrocket. "W-what are you saying so suddenly?!" he asked nervously.

"No reason." Marco grinned.

"…Marco…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad we talked. And I'm even gladder that you came into class late that first day and sat by me. If I hadn't met you, so much would be different. I wouldn't know what it means to protect something. I'd have less people to call friends. And I wouldn't know what it means to have someone want me even despite my many faults."

"Jean-"

"You were right… on that day… I was crying. When I found you on the ground at dodge ball… I'd thought you were… Well… Anyway! You survived! And that's all that matters!" Jean continued, and looked away to avoid any awkwardness.

Marco's bottom lip poked out and he had to wipe his nose, "Jean, you mean a lot to me, too. And your feelings are what I value. I kept my own feelings for you a secret because I didn't want to confuse you. I also thought you'd want to stop being friends if you found out about them. Heck, I was treading thin ice when I admitted I was gay to you…"

"I'll always accept you." Jean smiled, and then scratched his own head gently.

"The same goes for me." Marco smiled as he crawled up and bumped foreheads with his boyfriend.

"So… are we going to tell the others?" Jean asked as he took Marco's smooth hands into his own.

"We can if you want to."

"Eventually… I feel like I owe them that much, seeing as it was Connie and Sasha who motivated me to tell you how I feel."

"Mikasa and Armin were who I talked to." Marco said with a big smile.

"…"

"Connie and Sasha won't think any less of you, you know."

"Yeah, but…" Jean paused and closed his eyes.

"What? Do you-oh gosh, are you having second thoughts?" the freckle-cheeked man asked, nervous and fretting.

"No, calm your pretty face. You plan to tell Armin and Mikasa, right?"

"I guess." Marco giggled.

"I just… I don't want Eren to find out. Like ever." Jean said with a smirk.


	15. Awareness

"Hey, speed it up or we'll be late for class!" Jean said as he stood in the front doorway of Marco's house.

"I'm coming!" Marco replied from his room upstairs, and then put the rest of his books into his booksack.

A girl with long, dark hair peeped out from the hallway that wasn't far from the front door. She looked like she had just woken up, and also very irritated. "Who are you? Coming in here and yelling like a maniac…" she grunted, and then scratched her head before pulling her hair back behind her ear.

"Eh?" Jean didn't know how to respond.

"Marlene, what are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be at school?" Marco asked as he came to the front of the house.

"I thought everyone was gone… But if you must know, we seniors were given the option to stay home this week to do some research for our senior projects." The girl answered.

Jean noticed that she had quite a few similarities to Marco, though she was far more beautiful… He immediately felt guilty for thinking that. Marco was his boyfriend. Though, it's not like people in relationships didn't have a right to observe when someone else is attention capturing. He was comfortable enough with his new relationship to know no one else would make him go behind Marco's back.

"Do you need a ride into town? Why didn't you ask dad?" Marco asked. Obviously, he was a protective older brother.

"No, I'm going with Kate to the medical research center later. She's gonna drive me."

"Hm, okay. Well if I wasn't about to be late for class, I'd ask you more-"

"Oh my goooooood!  _You_  are worse than dad!" Marlene interrupted, then went on her way into the kitchen. "I was gonna get  _nine_  hours of sleep, but you and your friend had to wake me up! Ugh, I swear! Some people just don't understand what it takes to have to do extensive research for something. The hours of sleep I lose… If this keeps up, I'll look like an old woman before I turn eighteen!"

Marco hurried over to Jean and pushed him out of the house, then locked the door handle and closed the front door.

Jean let him, and when they were outside, he let his confusion be known, "What was that about?" he asked after he got into his car.

After getting in on the passenger's side, Marco sighed heavily, "That was Marlene. She's the drama queen of the family, if you couldn't tell."

"…Well considering there's ten of you, I guess someone had to fit the bill. I'm just glad it wasn't you."

Marco blushed, "Thank you…?"

"She's pretty. In fact, all of your siblings I've seen so far are pretty nice looking." Jean admitted as he backed out of Marco's driveway and headed on down the street. Of course, he thought Marco was pretty as well.

"…Marlene's definitely the prettiest. She gets teased about it all the time."

"How do you tease someone for being pretty?"

"Oh, it's not teasing in  _that_  sense… The other girls always tell her she looks tired and other things like that. It gets her so irritated."

Jean took his eyes off the road for a second to raise an eyebrow at Marco. "That's not nice."

"It's sibling stuff… Mostly sisterly stuff since no one else teases her but the other girls." Marco assured with a smile, "We're all there for each other when we need it, and we all love each other. No matter how much we tease each other… or don't approve of others' style… we still have a strong bond. Families are just that way."

"Hm… Guess I don't know anything about that. I have two cousins who I never see, but that's it. They're both a lot older than me."

"If I were to think of anyone you had a sibling-like relationship with… Hmm… I guess I'd say-"

"Don't you dare."

Marco grinned, "Well, I'm glad you know who it is already."

"I'd kill myself before I consider  _him_  to be even remotely like a sibling of mine."

"But… then I'd be left all alone…"

Jean quickly turned in Marco's direction, "Marco! Stop making me feel like a bad guy!" he shouted, though his words lacked any seriousness whatsoever.

"I'm not trying to."

"…But you  _are_ …"

"I'm sorry. Really. You know I'd never purposefully try to make you feel like a bad person."

Seeing the look on Marco's face, Jean realized that raising his voice, even if he meant it jokingly, at Marco was so terribly wrong… "…Don't apologize…"

"…"

The rest of the ride to campus ended up being very silent.

* * *

As expected, when Connie came into Professor Hanji's classroom, a bit earlier than usual, surprisingly, he immediately hurried to the back and took a seat with his back facing the front of the classroom.

With his head rested on his hand, Jean avoided the piercing gaze the boy was giving him.

Marco, however, cracked under the pressure. "What is it?" he asked very nervously.

Connie continued looking back and forth between Jean and Marco before he finally spoke. "Is it official now, or what?"

"Is what official?"

"Don't play coy with me, Marco. You might be a very likable, very innocent guy, but I know what you  _really_  want deep down!"

Marco raised an eyebrow, "Connie-"

"Is. It. Official?"

"Uh…" Marco turned to Jean, who shrugged his shoulders in an unspoken "I don't care if you tell him" sort of agreement. "Yeah. Jean and I are dating now."

"Gosh! It's about damn time!" Connie blurted out, drawing the eyes of a few of the other students who had gotten to class early. After pretending like he hadn't just caused a scene, he leaned in close to Jean and Marco and covered the side of his mouth with his hand, "You guys had sex?"

Marco turned red and looked away quickly. "Connie!"

Jean palmed Connie's face and forced him to look away from his flustered boyfriend, "That's nobody's business but ours." He said, and then proceeded to turn Connie's smaller body around in his chair.

Just then, Armin and Eren entered the classroom.

Jean grabbed Connie's shoulder and squeezed it tightly as if meaning to snap it. "Don't say anything around Eren." He nearly hissed in the boy's ear.

"Ack! Alright!  _Alright_! I won't say anything! Stop crushing my collar bone!" Connie whispered back.

"What's going on here? Did your years of self-loathing and sociopathic tendencies finally turn you to bullying?" Eren asked with a smirk as he sat down in the center seat beside Connie. "I won't let you hurt my friends, you know."

"Shut up…" Jean replied, then rested his cheek on his hand. He was really not in the mood to deal with Eren or his shitty remarks today.

Armin greeted Jean and Marco casually as he took the seat furthest to the left. He could already tell the big news without needing to be told. "I hope things are going well." He stated knowingly while looking over his shoulder at Marco.

Marco smiled, "They are." He assured.

Though Jean wouldn't say it to anyone, he was glad that Marco thought things between them were okay. With a half-grin, he nudged the taller man, "You have your glasses today, right?"

"Yeah. I haven't forgotten them in a while." Marco replied, pulling them out of his booksack to show them off.

It was a lame thing to ask, and Jean knew it. It also was kind of out of the blue because he knew Marco hadn't forgotten his glasses since the beginning of last semester. But he wanted to keep talking to Marco, even if it was about frivolous things. "Wanna come over after school?" he whispered.

"Sure."

"Wanna  _come_  over after school?" Eren mimicked in a  _very_  suggestive way. It caused Armin to turn and stare at him with his mouth hanging open a bit, and even Connie looked up from his Vita at him. Jean was in shock and, of course, quite annoyed. Marco stared at Eren just as the rest of the guys did while holding the corner of his notebook paper nervously. "I'm not stupid. And honestly, talking about things like I'm not aware is kind of offensive." Eren continued in a dismissive sort of way, not speaking to anyone in particular.

Before any of the boys could say anything to him, the front door of the class flew open and Professor Hanji came trotting in with a stack of papers. "GOOD MORNING CLASS! I HOPE YOU'RE ALL READY TO START THE SECOND SEQUENCE OF EARTH SCIENCE!" she said enthusiastically.

"Woo! Let's do it!" Reiner shouted from the front of the class.

"Yes! That's what I like to hear! Some avid determination! Oh, and don't mind these papers! They're the syllabus for my intro class because the online one somehow disappeared."

"…" Marco turned his lingering attention focused on Eren and the rest of his attention that had been forcibly given to Professor Hanji to Reiner. He was sporting a new haircut. It was one that was a close shave around the sides and the back, which was definitely different. Bertholdt was sitting beside him, which was not different at all. Marco couldn't help but wonder if anything had happened between the two of them. The way they acted, especially Reiner, he assumed something had to have happened by now. The two of them were notably not speaking as much as they used to… Though, in fairness, it was the first day of a new semester at  _eight_  in the morning.

"All right! Let's get down to business!" Professor Hanji said, and then pulled a marker out of her pocket and started writing on the board with it. "Remember from last class where we left off? Well here's a brief rundown of everything we covered so we can get back up to speed."

The board was half-filled with her notes in less than three minutes.

* * *

Mid-day.

After having eaten lunch with Jean and the others, Marco made his way towards the library. This semester, unlike the ones prior to it, left him with a two hour break for lunch. It was strange because he normally didn't have so much free time on campus. So while he could, he figured he would go check out some books to read. This extra hour would be great for studying and reading.

As he entered the library, he headed right on to the stairs. The third floor was where he needed to go to find any sort of fantasy books. That floor particularly was dedicated to popular series that dealt with wizards, dwarves, magic rings, vampires, and so on. Nothing was more fun to him than immersing himself in a new novel.

Well… that thought wasn't entirely true anymore… but still, books were placed on a very high pedestal in his life.

Heading on past the floor monitor, who was just texting on her phone, he made his way down one of the narrow aisles filled to the brim with thick novels. This time, he would pick out a book for the cover. Sure, the saying went don't do that, but he was tired of recommendations. He wanted a surprise. Good or bad. Happy or sad.

The book he picked out was a fiery red with a tiger and a dragon painted on the front. It seemed very interesting from first glance. Immediately, he opened it and read about the author. Right after that, he began the prologue.

"Marco?"

Marco looked up when he heard his name called and saw Reiner at the end of the aisle.

"Reiner?"

"I thought that was you." Reiner said as he walked towards the shorter man.

"What are you doing here?"

"Huh?"

"Uh, not that I wouldn't expect you to be in the library!"

"I was just checking out the geeky types hanging around." Reiner replied. He came to a stop just a bit too close to Marco in the narrow aisle.

"Geeky types?"

"Where are your glasses, Superman?"

"Huh…?"

"You know…" Reiner began, then put his strong arm out so he was leaning on the shelf with Marco stuck between him and it, "I think it's interesting how we've known each other for so long and haven't spent much time together at all."

"Wha-"

"I've always liked 'em kinda tan, smart, cute, and easily flustered."

Marco blushed and backed up against the shelf. "Um… I'm kinda-"

"How 'bout it?"

"Reiner… I-" When Reiner moved in for a kiss, Marco quickly put the book up in between them to shield his face.

"Hey."

"Reiner, I'm dating Jean." He said, then pulled the book down just past his eyes.

"Huh? Jean? Why Jean of  _all_  people? You could do so much better than him."

"Because I like him. A lot. He cares about me."

"…"

"What are you doing, anyway? Don't you… don't you like Bertholdt?" Marco asked cautiously.

Reiner pulled away from Marco, stuffed his hands into his pockets, and sighed heavily. He looked down to the floor with a somewhat solemn look on his face, "Well… I… H-hey! What gave you an idea like that?!"

"I think it's pretty obvious."

"Obvi-"

"Do you actually like him?"

Closing his eyes for a moment, Reiner tried to avoid sighing again. "Of course I like him." He finally replied after looking Marco in the eyes, "But he's not interested in me… or any man for that matter…"

"Oh…"

"But that's all behind me now..."

"…"

"Anyway… I guess I'll see you around, yeah?" Reiner said with a bit of hopefulness in his voice and a slight grin on his face.

"Um, yeah. I guess."

When Reiner backed off and then exited the aisle, Marco leaned back against the bookshelf and looked down to his book. Before he could stop himself, he felt a smile gracing his lips. "Reiner, you..."

"Excuse me." A girl said as she squeezed past Marco in the aisle with a few books clasped in her arms against her chest.

"Oh, sorry!"

"It's fine." As soon as the girl was gone, Marco decided it was time for him to go as well. Being in the library today didn't seem to be the best idea.

* * *

Seated comfortably in the driver's seat of his car with his door open to let the gentle pre-spring breezes reach him, Jean flicked the screen on his phone quickly as he played a game that had become pretty popular on the app store in the last week. It was frustrating to say the least, trying to get the little guy to fly through the buzzers, but he had nothing else to do at the moment… besides enjoy the warmer weather that was quite unseasonal for late January. What he really wanted was to see Marco. All classes up to three fifteen were over now, so he should've been coming to the parking lot any time now.

"What's taking so long…?" he asked aloud, looking around the parking lot to see if he was coming.

Just as he glanced over to the science building, he saw Marco come out of one of the doors with his booksack on his back. That made him happier than he imagined it would.

"Marco," he called when the man got close to the car.

"Oh, hi Jean!" Marco smiled as he reached the passenger side and opened the door.

"Got everything?"

"Yeah, let's get going."

As he put the key into the ignition, Jean couldn't help but wonder if something was bothering Marco. "Hey, you okay? You look a little distracted."

"D-do I?! I'm sorry! I'm fine!" the freckled-man jumped and said.

"You sure?"

"Mhmm!"

"Alright. Well, you still wanna come over? My parents are out of town at the moment." They were now making their way out of the parking lot.

"Yeah. That sounds fine."

Jean grinned, "Cool."

With an inward sigh, Marco leaned on the door and looked out the window. He couldn't help himself from wondering about Reiner. Hopefully he was okay…


	16. Waves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING, THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT

"Hey, you've been pretty quiet the whole car ride here." Jean said as he finally pulled into the driveway at his house. "You okay?"

Marco jumped when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. "Huh?!"

"Marco, what's up with you? It's not like you to be quiet and spacey like this."

"…Oh… well…" Marco paused. His and Jean's relationship had only just began. Telling him about Reiner's advance would be a good idea since he wanted to avoid keeping things from Jean, but then he ran the risk of what Jean would do when he found out. Most likely, he'd go to Reiner in a confrontational sort of way… and he could get hurt… Reiner is a big man, after all. "Um…"

Before Jean could say anything, his phone vibrated in his pocket. "Uhhh… We'll talk about this later." He said when he saw that his dad was calling him.

Turning his car off, he pulled the keys out and got out of it. His dad started asking him about the house, which he was not yet in, and other things. When Marco got out of the car, he locked the car and walked over to the front door. "Dad, I can handle it if the water heater messes up. I told you to get the replacement on it, but you didn't listen to me."

Marco followed Jean to the front door quietly, just observing him as he talked with his dad. It made him smile to think about Jean doing father-son activities like going to the hardware store together. When Jean opened the door and let him go in first, he smiled at him and went inside.

"Look, tell Aunt Carol I have class and that's why I couldn't come visit her… Okay… Yeah… I'll be fine… Tell mom I can cook for myself… and that I'll take care of Snuggles, too." Jean continued as he walked inside and closed the door behind himself, then motioned for Marco to go on to his room.

Snuggles, tied up in the washing room, barked when he saw Marco coming down the hallway. Reaching out when he got close, Marco let the dog sniff his hand so he could remember who he was. "That's a good boy." He smiled. For a moment, he remembered that Snuggles had never ever been tied up when Jean's mother was home…

"Hey, Marco." Jean said when he got to his bedroom.

"Hm?" the freckled-man replied, seated at the foot of the bed and sitting straight up with very good posture.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

After scratching his head, Jean blushed and took a seat beside his boyfriend. "Uh… well…" he began nervously, "You know you can talk to me, right? If something's bothering you… let me know. I can help!"

Marco stared at Jean for a second. He looked so nervous, flustered, and sincere all at the same time. It was cute the way he tried avoiding eye contact and rubbed the back of his neck. "Jean, you… You're so adorable!"

"What?!"

"Listen…There  _is_  something I want to tell you, but you have to promise me you'll keep a cool head."

"Like I don't always…"

"Promise me."

"Okay fine, I promise!"

"Right. Okay. Well… Um… Today in the library, I was looking for a new book to read. It was going pretty well, as usual… until Reiner showed up." Before Jean could interrupt him, Marco raised a hand to tell him not to interrupt, "I thought he wanted notes or something for class, but he definitely surprised me. He came on to me pretty strong, but he backed off when I asked him to. So you don't need to get mad. He knows we're dating now."

"He came on to you?!"

"It was no big deal, really. Besides, there's something important that I found out about him."

"Yeah? Like what? The fact that he's a flirtatious douchebag? I swear to god-"

"Jean!"

"I always knew he was a piece of-"

"Jean! Listen! Please."

"…"

"What I found out was that he likes Bertholdt. Bertholdt!"

Jean pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "…So?"

"You're upset that he came on to me, and that's understandable. But… I can tell he really is struggling with all of this on his own. Maybe he just needs someone to talk to. Did you notice how he and Bertholdt hadn't said much to each other in class today? Something happened between them… and it probably wasn't good. He told me Bertholdt's not interested in him… So I guess he confessed, but was shot down."

"That's his problem, not ours, Marco. Besides, it's more surprising that  _he's_  into guys and not his giant friend."

"Jean, I… I want to try helping Reiner." Marco admitted.

"What?! Why? That guy's a jerk… One who needs his ass handed to him. When I see him-"

"Jean, I need you to calm down. I wanna help him because… I can relate to him."

Jean raised an eyebrow, "You can relate to him? How so?"

"If I have the situation pegged right, then he's chasing after someone who seems unattainable to him. I understand what that feels like, and it was thanks to our friends that I got the courage to tell you how I feel. It's the same for you, right?"

"Well… yeah… but Reiner didn't help us. And he's not exactly a friend—more an acquaintance. Besides, he's friends with Annie, and she's the one who hurt you that day, remember? How could you want to help him when he still considers her a friend even after that?"

"…Jean… I don't hold grudges against people. Reiner didn't hurt me in any sense. And even though Annie did, I don't hate her for it. Of course, I'd be more cautious around her now... still… When you forgive someone, you can move on. We can't look to the future and all that lies ahead while also looking to the past at the same time… unless you have two heads."

"Marco, you're… I… can't tell if you're an angel in disguise, or just an overly trusting fool…" Jean admitted.

"Maybe both, hehe."

"…"

"Jean, will you help me?"

"Help you what?"

"Help Reiner. I think all he needs is a friend. He seemed very lost and hopeless when I asked him about Bertholdt."

"…I don't know."

"…"

"Let's forget about that for now… I finally have you alone in my house, and I don't want to waste a second of you being here." Jean said, crawling closer to Marco.

"J-Jean!"

"Connie's not the only one, you know. I know what you really want, too." He breathed out as he moved right up in Marco's face.

Their eyes were trapped in each other's, hearts racing a mile a minute, and the warmth between them was comparable to hot summer days. Still, despite how nervous they were, this, too, was part of being in a relationship. So, slowly, Jean reached out and lightly touched one of Marco's soft hands. Simple. Clean. Innocent.

Being a bit bolder, he started caressing it. He wasn't used to this kind of thing, but he did know that rushing would take all the excitement out of the moment.

Marco lifted his hand and slid each of his fingers in between Jean's, then started rubbing his thumb against Jean's thumb.

"You have soft hands for someone who does work on a farm." Jean whispered.

"I know…"

"That's a good thing."

To be more to the point, Marco had hands softer than any woman's hand he'd ever felt. This included Sasha, whose hand he felt when she tried fortune telling, Mikasa, whose hand he had "accidentally" bumped when they happened to be hanging out with the same people at the same time, and Marie's, who was adamant about holding hands during their movie date.

None of those instances had ever led up to a moment like this. And even though he was no virgin, Jean had never tried for  _gentle_. Something about Marco just made him want to savor things, draw them out for every tidbit of pleasure they could give.

With the entirety of his inner body feeling like it was on fire, Marco leaned forward and kissed Jean. Using his free hand, he ran his fingers along Jean's arm slowly, grabbing up arm hairs between them with every time they moved up his arm. After breaking their kiss, he awkwardly started using both his hands to try lifting Jean's shirt over his head.

Jean grinned and helped him where he could until they managed to get it off. Then, they both worked on getting Marco's shirt off. Once both their torsos were bare, they took note of each other. To Jean's surprise, Marco had no chest hairs, compared to his own chest that had quite a few of them towards the center. It was enticingly bare enough to make him move down and kiss it in as many places as he could. Then, he recalled something. Connie had said something once about how amazing it was to play with a girl's nipples… why wouldn't that work for a guy?

Marco didn't know how to react when Jean started kissing his chest, but he was completely at a loss when he felt the man move to one of his nipples and start nibbling at it with one of his teeth and licking it with his tongue. "Jean…" he whispered, then brought his hands up so he could run his fingers through Jean's soft hair.

"Hm?"

"I have to…" Unable to finish his sentence, Marco leaned forward and laid Jean down on the bed. "I hope I'm not going too fast…" he said as he slowly started undoing Jean's belt.

Jean had no time to respond because it took Marco no time at all to remove the barrier of clothes between him and his penis. He felt somewhat embarrassed because he wasn't completely erect, but when he saw Marco smile at him, he knew it was okay. "Guess I should return the favor." He finally got out, then sat up and started working at removing Marco's pants.

"Wait, let me handle the zipper. It gets stuck sometimes." Marco said as they struggled with it.

"…" Jean laid back down and closed his eyes. This was so new to him. Being with anyone, let alone another man, was starting to sink in…

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." This was exciting, and it was with Marco. There was no room for fear and nervousness. Opening his eyes, he saw that Marco was naked, yet covering his groin with his hands.

"If this is making you uncomfortable, say so. I wouldn't want you to do something you didn't want to do."

For a second so he could grab Marco, Jean sat up and took hold of his arm, then pulled him forward, "I wouldn't have gone this far if I didn't want to do this." He assured him.

"…Do you want me to…? You know…"

"Oh… Yeah… You can…" Jean blushed, avoiding eye contact.

"Have any lube? I can't do anything without it."

"Eh… I have lotion."

"That's not lube, you know…"

"We'll be fine. It's right there on the dresser." Jean said, and then watched as Marco crawled off the bed and took the bottle from beside the TV.

"It bothers me that this bottle is more than half empty." The freckled man said as he got on the bed again and made his way back to Jean.

Jean blushed and looked out his window, "Be quiet… You already found proof that I was doing  _that_  a long time ago, remember?"

"Oh yeah! You know, I never would've guessed at that time we would end up here like this." Marco smiled.

"I could say the same." Jean confessed.

Moving in close and pressing his lips against Jean's ear, Marco kept his smile. "I love you, Jean. So much." He whispered. He needed to let it resonate with Jean. That was the most important factor in what they were doing… or  _about_  to do.

"I know. And I… ah… you know…"

"I do." The larger man let out a low chuckle, and then squirted some lotion into his palm.

Jean closed his eyes and slowly, and awkwardly, draped his arms around Marco's upper torso. "I don't know how this works… but I assume it's just like a guy and a girl would do it, huh?" he asked nervously.

"…Mmm…  _Something_  like that. I'm not too experienced with topping, though. But for you, I'll do it."

"I'm so honored." Jean smirked, keeping his eyes shut as he heard the sounds of Marco stroking himself to lubricate his member. "Say something…" he mumbled, letting the sounds make him even more nervous than he was.

"Like what?"

"Anything… That sound is making me nervous."

Marco stopped altogether, "If it's too much-"

"We're this far already. Just give it to me and stop making that noise."

"You sure are bossy this evening."

" _Please_ … Marco…"

With reddening cheeks, Marco used what was left of the lotion on his fingers to open Jean's hole. It wasn't easy, and since it was definitely the first time it had been used in such a way, Jean's immediate reaction to being fingered wasn't surprising. The second Marco stuck his index and middle fingers inside him, Jean tensed up and drew in a sharp breath through his teeth. "Just bear with it. It'll help for later."

"Urgh… This is so uncomfortable…"

To be on the safe side, Marco added his ring finger as well, then used all three of them to stretch Jean as best he could. They eventually hit something, and he realized it was Jean's prostate. "Okay…" he breathed out, removing his fingers from the warm and inviting hole, "Relax, Jean. This will never work if you stay tense."

"I'm relaxing."

"Count down from ten, and we'll start."

Jean exhaled deeply. "Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… th-three…"

"Two…" Marco said with him.

"One…" they both said nervously.

Marco leaned forward and kissed Jean's forehead as he gently forced his way inside him, "Is this okay?"

"God…" Jean groaned, his face reddening and his body wriggling beneath Marco's, "It hurts like taking a bad shit…"

"Just tell me if I need to stop." Marco said as he continued going inside Jean. He was being as gentle as possible, but it was clearly uncomfortable for him. "You heard me?"

"Yeah, I'll tell you if it's too much."

When he felt his skin press up against Jean's rear end, Marco smiled, "I did it! I'm in." he almost cheered. He was such an innocent guy.

"Can we… can we just stay like this for a second?" Jean asked. He was still trying to adjust to the intrusion. Wasn't this supposed to be pleasurable? Finally taking a chance, he opened his eyes and saw Marco smiling down at him, "W-what?"

"You're so cute when you're like this…"

"Stop teasing me!"

"I'm not! I promise!"

"…Marco…"

"Hm?"

"I don't care… how much this hurts… not anymore. Because I'm doing this with you. I want to take the good with the bad."

"It'll feel better if we do it regularly."

"No one at school would ever know this side of you exists, would they?"

"I guess not. But I'm human, too." Marco almost chuckled.

Even though he wasn't nearly comfortable enough, Jean ran his hands down Marco's back and gripped his ass. "You can go now."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." Marco swallowed his saliva, then pulled out of Jean almost completely. As he went back in, he noticed Jean close his eyes and his hands grip the sheets. "I promise it'll feel better in time." He whispered.

Jean simply nodded, then brought his right hand up and bit his index finger lightly. Marco's speed was steady, almost predictable. And even though he knew he'd gone much faster than this with the girls he'd slept with, Jean didn't want Marco to speed up just yet. This was bearable. This was something he could handle. Marco could speed up when they were used to doing this.

"Is it feeling any better?"

"Kinda…"

"Jean…"

"Yeah?"

"Touch yourself."

"What?"

"That'll help."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"If I do… I'll…" Jean tried hiding his embarrassment, but he couldn't, "If I do, I'll finish too fast." He said, his ears, cheeks, and even his nose glowing red.

"It's okay. We don't have to go forever on the first time." Marco replied, and then sped up just a little. Reaching down, he started fondling Jean's nipples, trapping them in between his thumbs and pointer fingers and squeezing lightly.

"Marco!" Jean cried out.

"What?"

"Stop trying to make me…"

"I want you to, though." Marco smiled.

"It's gonna go everywhere!"

"That's okay, right? This is your room."

"Still… This is why I use a sock!"

"Jean, I'm about to cum… I want you to first, though." Marco admitted, then ran his hands down and took Jean's penis into his right hand to start stroking him in time with his own movements.

"Uh… no fair…!" Jean said before he grunted and whimpered, closed his eyes and tried hiding his face, and then finally let out a long moan as he came. For those few seconds with Marco's hand wrapped around him, he felt like he was in Heaven. And it was all thanks to his freckled lover. But he had to come back down to Earth, and the fall was a quick one. He tried to avoid eye contact with Marco, whose hand, stomach, and even the underside of his chin were now covered in cum. "I told you…" he grumbled, feeling embarrassed and guilty at the same time.

"It's okay." Marco grinned as he pulled out of Jean hurriedly, and then finished on his stomach. He, too, felt the high that came from Jean's presence beneath him. With a deep exhale, he threw his head back and felt the last wave of his orgasm washing over him. He took a few seconds to catch his breath before looking down to Jean, who was lying there with his torso covered in the after effect of those waves.

"…What…?" Jean asked a little defensively.

"Nothing. You just look so adorable when you're embarrassed." Marco replied with a smile.

He'd been smiling a lot the whole time. It was probably his way of helping Jean feel more comfortable, since he'd never done this before.

Regardless of the reason, Jean couldn't resist that smile. He'd fallen for it a long time ago, and would do anything to see it never fade. After sitting up, he moved in close and grabbed Marco's head and tilted it back a little, then licked the underside of his chin to remove his mess. When their eyes met, he tried to fake a smile, but it was obvious Marco could see through it. "Sorry…"

"Jean, I don't mind. Really. In fact, that's one of the things that make it pretty exciting to be with you like this. Though… next time-"

"Next time it'll be inside you." Jean said, and then kissed Marco's soft lips. He felt the rest of their mess flowing down his stomach and sighed. "Maybe we should find a better way to do this, though."

"I wanted to use a condom. That would've prevented half this mess from happening."

"I was okay with you not using one. But… we should go shower or something." Jean said as he looked down and saw that Marco's stomach was still wet all over with his cum.

"Right."

"By the way…"

"Hm?" Marco hummed, looking down and pressing his forehead against Jean's.

"Ah… never mind. We'll deal with it tomorrow."

"Deal with what?"

Jean blinked a few times, "With fucking Reiner… God, I want to kill that guy."

"Oh! Yeah. Don't kill him. Then I won't get to see you because you'll go to jail."

"No promises… Anyway, for now, let's go shower. I feel so… dirty."

"You're cute when you're dirty." Marco said with a smile.

Jean had had enough, "Well you're cuter, Marco! Maybe next time I'll cover those freckles of yours with it!"


	17. Embrace

Instead of simply visiting Jean for the day and going home that night, Marco let himself be talked into staying the night at Jean's house. And after that exciting round of lovin' last night, some part of him agreed that staying the night would be the best idea. Moreover, the next day of school would be another syllabus day, so it wasn't like he needed to go home to do homework. All his course syllabuses were neatly kept in the binder he carried in his booksack, as he usually kept all his course notes and work together. As for the day ahead, he would simply borrow some of Jean's clothes, then wash and return them.

Jean's room was dark. That cold morning dark that seems almost blue everywhere you look just before the sun comes up to light the day. It was cold out, the window panes being a perfect provider of that knowledge with the slight frost creeping over them. It was another winter-spring morning inside the walls.

Jean, who had slept snug as a bug under his sheets, woke up to the sound of his cell alarm, and quickly reached under his pillow to shut it off. "Damn loud… thing…" he grumbled, trying to find it. When he did, he quickly hit dismiss and slid the phone back under his pillow.

To his pleasant surprise, Marco was lying just a few inches away, back to him and probably sleeping. Between last night and now, he'd practically forgotten how he got him to stay the night.

"Marco." He whispered, crawling up to the man and leaning up against his back. Marco was unbelievably invitingly warm, which he could easily tell because the rest of his room was cold. When his parents were away, he liked keeping the house cold when he slept because sleeping with the heat on led to profuse perspiration. Not wanting to seem like he'd wet the bed, and also not wanting to wake up uncomfortably soaked through and through, he let Marco know last night before they fell asleep that he'd be turning the air conditioner on. The heat would automatically come on after they left for the day.

"Hn?" Marco hummed, then turned over and gently bumped his forehead against Jean's.

"It's almost 7:30… we gotta get ready. Class starts in thirty minutes."

"Why's it so late…?" he yawned.

"I didn't have to drive out to get you and decided to sleep in for a bit." Jean replied, then sat up and hopped over Marco to get off the bed, nearly tripping over him as he did. He quickly grabbed something from the closet, then headed to his door. "By the way, you can wear whatever you want out of there as long as it's clean." He said before leaving the room.

The sound of the shower coming on from the back bathroom echoed through the hallway, and Marco smiled when he realized Jean was using his parent's bathroom so he could use his to get ready. "Don't wanna be late on day two." He told himself as he got up as well and headed over to Jean's closet.

* * *

"Where'd you find that?" Jean asked, eyeing the warm-looking light gray sweater Marco was wearing as they met at the front door to head out.

"In your closet. I was gonna wear those skinny jeans I saw, but I don't think they'd look good on me."

"I've been meaning to get rid of those things… My aunt bought them for me and I don't really wear them."

"You got something against skinnies?" Marco teased.

Jean opened the door and grabbed his keys from the table beside it, "I'm not a hipster."

"Non-hipster people wear them too."

"Name one."

"Well, on occasion, Sasha."

"… Name another."

"I could."

"Ugh, fine. But I don't wear them, so there." Jean said as he and Marco exited his house and he locked the door.

* * *

Thankfully, the ride to campus wasn't too frustrating. Traffic wasn't unbearable like most mornings, and they even arrived a few minutes before eight.

"Wish we could stop at the caf and get breakfast." Jean mumbled as he and Marco headed into the school's main hall.

"I know… There's usually breakfast waiting in the kitchen at my house when I wake up."

"Tell me about it."

"Maybe it's a sign that we should start making our own breakfast. I'm not terrible at cooking."

"I am. I can't even make rice without burning it." Jean admitted. It was true and very shameful. He and Marco came to their parting spot by the stairs, and then they stood there a little awkwardly to wait for the crowds of students, who were either just entering the classrooms or hurrying into the building so they wouldn't be tardy, to clear out.

Today was Tuesday, meaning they had no classes together and wouldn't actually see each other until lunch.

"Well… ah…" Jean started, unsure of how exactly to part, yet not wanting to just be like "see ya". They were together now, and didn't couples like peck on the cheek or something? A lot of people dating did random things as they split, but this was a bit different since they were two guys.

Marco, the brave man that he was, walked up to Jean and pulled him into a warm hug. "I'll see you at lunch, kay?" he said.

"Yeah." The brunette replied, blushing at this unexpected PDA. Regardless of his embarrassment, he made sure to return Marco's hug wholeheartedly. Screw who was looking, and screw who didn't like it. They were together, and happily. That was all that mattered.

"Alright. Gotta get going." And with that, Marco headed up the stairs to his first class of the day.

Jean smiled. He didn't know why, either. There was just something about Marco that made him happy, and he was pretty damned glad he decided to ask him out… even though it was a mutual thing… and also, they hadn't been on an actual date yet…

Well, now he had something to think about today.

When he spotted a big blonde guy, bearing no facial resemblance to Braun whatsoever, he remembered what Marco told him. He was still a bit upset, but since he told Marco he'd behave, he'd mentally scratched Reiner's name off his hit list. Plus, somehow he was a bit intrigued by the idea of Reiner admitting to his boyfriend that he liked Bertholdt. He'd suspected them of dating since forever.

"I'll call you after class." a girl said as she hurried by Jean.

It made him remember that he also needed to get going.

Somebody wasn't going to be paying much attention during his lectures today…

* * *

As he expected, Jean found himself doing anything but paying attention to his professors today. It was in his class just before lunch that the professor's mouth was moving, yet to him, nothing came out. All he could do was imagine what he would do on an actual date with Marco.

Going to the movies was a decent option, but something had to come either before or afterward. Probably dinner or something. Did Marco like Italian?

Whipping out his phone under his desk, he almost laughed as he sent a message:

" _Gosh, that Italian family at the next table sure is quiet"_ *

Minutes passed by, the professor still went on about the establishment of the three walls and the power of the monarchy that spanned each one, and Jean literally considered leaving class. He couldn't really focus at all. There was too much going on in his life to care about learning all this stuff again. They covered this information extensively in high school. He got it. The king was powerful. The royal family was popular. Blah, blah, blah.

His phone buzzed in his lap. After tapping the screen, he saw that Marco replied:

" _Hahaha! I literally lol'd and the instructor almost caught me on my phone xD Don't send me stuff like that in class!"_

Jean grinned. Marco always managed to give him that feeling in his gut, even while texting.

And thankfully, class ended early. Didn't anyone tell that professor that the first day was supposed to be just about going over the syllabus and not starting notes? This would likely be one of those classes where pages of notes would be crammed into the 90 minute time slot they were allotted, and that was a drag to think about.

"Jean!"

Said man turned and smirked at Marco as he came up to him on his way to the cafeteria. "Hey."

"Let's talk about something." The freckled-man said as the two of them walked.

"Okay."

"Kay, so I was thinking…"

"God save us…"

"Quiet, you!" Marco ordered with a grin, nudging Jean with his elbow, "Anyway, I was thinking about what to do with Reiner and Bertholdt."

"And…?"

"We should talk to them. But separately. If two people bombard either one of them, they might respond by pushing us away or dismissing the topic altogether."

"…"

"So I want you to talk to Bertholdt."

"Why me?"

"Well, Reiner's clearly comfortable talking to me. I don't know if he would say anything to you about this. You two don't get along well."

"Got that right… Well… fine. I'll handle our towering, mute giant." This would be easy. Bertholdt seemed like the kind of guy who could be easily pressured. "You just keep your guard up." He told Marco.

"Reiner knows we're dating now. I don't think he'll make a move again."

"What you two talking about?" Connie suddenly asked from behind, making both Marco and Jean jump in surprise.

"N-nothing!" Marco declared nervously.

"Is that right?"

"Yeah." Jean said, meaning for him to drop the subject.

"You're a big bully…"

Jean nearly scoffed, "What?"

"Just 'cuz you've always been taller than me doesn't give you the right to think I'm easily intimidated by you." Connie continued.

"Connie, the only people who we know that you're taller than are Historia and Annie." Jean remarked, "And even those two intimidate you. I'm not a bully, you're just easy to control."

"Says the guy who can't beat me to save his life at any games we play, ever."

"…"

"Eh… so… Connie, had a good day?" Marco asked.

"Same as usual. What about you?"

"It was productive to say it's just the second day of classes."

"Marco," Connie whispered, "you're too nice a guy for Jean."

Marco shook his head, "I don't think so. I like him a lot just the way he is." He replied quietly.

"What you guys whisperin' about?" Jean interrupted.

"Nothing that concerns you." Connie assured. "So anyway, I gotta go meet Historia to give her back her phone—she left it in her chair this morning. I'll see you guys in a few."

"Kay." Marco said, watching as the energetic boy headed off towards the library. "Ready to eat?" he asked Jean when Connie was gone.

"Yeah."

* * *

And just like that, lunch was practically the same as it had always been. Connie told his jokes, Sasha swiped food from people's plates even though she was quite capable of getting more of her own, Eren made his quips, Armin studied a bit, Mikasa sat quietly and only spoke when spoken to, although she did offer comments every once in a while, and, to everyone's surprise, Ymir and Historia decided to eat with them today.

Marco and Jean sat beside each other and quite often backed off from the main conversation to have their own, being told they were too adorable by Historia with one particular conversation where Marco could not stop blushing.

All in all it was a rather enjoyable lunch. Even the food was good.

"You've come a long way from eating alone." Marco grinned as he and Jean left the group in the cafeteria.

Unfortunately, they both had 12:30 classes.

"Yeah, and I think I know why." Jean said, then gave Marco a creepy stare.

"Don't make that face…"

"Whatever."

Marco turned to leave, "I'll see you after I get out of class."

Almost instinctively, Jean, in broad daylight where everyone could see, reached out and stopped the other, then pulled him into a warm hug. Well, as warm as the day itself was. The weather was at the point now where it was cold in the mornings, moderately warm at noon, and cool at night.

"Jean, I thought you didn't like this kind of thing…"

"We did it this morning! Now just hug me back!"

With a smile, Marco lifted his arms and wrapped them around Jean's neck.

Most people who passed them did so without paying them much mind, as many were on their phones and not even paying attention.

After a few seconds, Jean pulled away and felt unusually warm, "See you in a bit."

"Right."

"I'll be waiting at my car for you."

"Actually, I think we should stay here for a bit after class."

"Why?"

"Just do it." Marco said, sticking out his tongue and winking as he walked away.

"…Sure." Jean said, wondering what exactly it was they needed to stay after class for. That's the last thing he ever wanted to do.

Honestly, the things he did because of Marco…

* * *

*A Family Guy reference—apparently this is the perfect secret phrase for sleeper agents because no one would ever think to say it.


	18. Chit, Chit Chattering

Since he received a text message from Marco instructing him to wait in the library, that's what Jean decided to do. And so, he waited at a table next to a window with a large view of the campus. But his attention was stuck on the mass of clouds drifting peacefully in the cobalt sky. Each stack upon stack of cloud had its own interesting characteristics. And if he remembered right, they were cumulonimbus calvus clouds packed together up there.

Clouds were weird. Pretty, but weird.

Jean had never in all his life felt so calm and in-tune with himself or life in general. It was all thanks to Marco, honestly. While his eyes may have been drawn to the clouds, his thoughts were endlessly consumed by that freckle-faced man he was in love with. And without even realizing it, a smile found its way to his face, even if only a small one.

"Jean." Marco said, drawing said man from his daydreams.

"Hey." Jean greeted as his boyfriend took a seat across from him.

"Did class go well?"

"Eh, so-so." Jean replied, not interested in reliving the hour and a half of boredom he'd just escaped.

"Hm, well I'm glad you decided to stay."

"What did you want to do that requires us to stay after school? Got a meeting of smart people with Armin you want me to attend?"

"No." Marco laughed as he shook his head. "I wanted to go talk to Reiner and Bertholdt."

"Oh yeeaah. I forgot we were doing that."

"We are for sure. Now, I think you can find Bertholdt on the track field right about now. I'll head to the football field to check on Reiner."

"Football? I might see them doing track practice, but football? It's only about to be February."

"The teams here work strangely. There's definitely meetings going on for the next few months until practice officially starts. Remember how the teams in Stohess decided to give practice year round? Well, we didn't want to fall behind, so our teams also practice year round. Though, even I know most practices end early and some are just meetings about team plays and planning for fall practice."

"…"

"So let's get going. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can leave campus for the day."

"Right." Jean agreed as he stood up. He wasn't interested in talking to Bertholdt at all, let alone dropping in on track practice. This would be annoying, he could feel it in his bones.

"Let's meet up later at your car around four thirty."

"Alright. Good luck."

"Thanks, you too."

* * *

An honor student walking around the football stadium clearly in search of something or someone quickly drew attention. Marco kept his small smile on his face even though some of the football players and cheerleaders had eyes glued to him. It was a bit strange that he was there, but not so much. As he usually managed to fit in wherever he went, most of the stares and questionable looks thrown his way disappeared with that persistent and unyielding smile that bore his benevolent personality.

The team mascot came up to him as he walked through the empty concessions stand and did a spin around him teasingly, "Have you seen Reiner?" Marco asked it.

"Reiner, miner, fish liner!" the mascot replied aimlessly as it went on its way.

"Eeeeh…?"

"Marco?"

Whipping around at the sound of his name, Marco smiled when he saw Reiner, shirtless, coming his way. "Reiner!"

As he and Marco came up to one another, Reiner grinned down at the slightly shorter man, "So you came to your senses?" he asked and started flexing subtly.

"No, I did come here to talk to you, though. Wanna go somewhere we can be alone?"

Reiner's eyes widened a bit, but he swiftly put his hand on Marco's shoulder and spun him around on his heel. "Of course I do!" He grinned as he guided the other to one of his favorite spots in the stadium.

At this point, everyone had completely disregarded Marco, letting him slip into their little niche.

* * *

Leaning forward on the gate that surrounded the vast track field, Jean watched as the drones either ran about the track, did stretches, or talked to each other in the warm sunlight. Sports had never been his thing. He didn't play them, and he honestly didn't like being a spectator for them. It was when someone patted his back that he turned around.

Marie stood behind him with a smile on her pretty face. "Hey, you."

She looked pretty in her red sweater and brown skirt.

"Marie? What are you doing here?" he asked, returning that smile halfheartedly.

"One of my friends is on the team. What are you doing here?" she countered in a jokingly suspicious manner.

"I… could say the same…" Jean replied. Were he and Bertholdt friends?

"It's been a while since we saw each other. You get online every night, but I don't really have time to play games too much. I get those little updates from the network about friends' online status, and yours is usually the first one that comes up."

"Gaming keeps me sane." The man replied simply. Playing together with friends and his boyfriend were probably the true elements that accomplished that sanity, though.

"Hehehe, well… We should play sometime. It's been a while since we teamed up!"

"Yeah. Get on tonight and we'll play, okay?"

"If I can fit it into my  _schedule_." The girl said as she flipped her blonde hair with false conceit.

Jean turned back to the field and looked for Bertholdt. He was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, do you know Bertholdt?" he asked Marie.

"Not particularly. Why?"

"Is he here today?"

"I think he came in a bit early to practice… Like, before two o'clock classes ended. But that might have been Ronnie… They're both so tall."

"Darn…"

"You can check the library. There's a sale or something on books, and I know he likes to read a lot."

"Oh, yeah! Thanks!" Jean said, grabbing Marie into a hug. For some reason, he felt… connected to her. Sure, they dated and it ended, but she was still a cool girl. Hugging her came naturally to him, given the lack of social awkwardness forced upon opposite sex people. With Marco, it was different. He had strong feelings for him, but in public, two guys hugging was much more looked down upon than a guy and a girl, or even two girls, and he hated that.

After saying goodbye to Marie, he went on his way and let his thoughts be consumed by the freckled lover he had named Marco.

"What an affect he has on me…" he mumbled. Never and nowhere in a million years had he figured he'd be visiting a  _sports_  practice to try talking to someone he wasn't even sure he was friends with. Not to mention all the other things he'd been doing lately: being social with a big group of friends, going to dodgeball when he could be at home, venturing beyond the online gaming servers and going out for a change, and so on.

He'd unknowingly been pushed out of his impenetrable shell into the real world, and it was by the warm, soft hands of the guy who was late that he became friends with over a pack of fruit snacks and sloppy notes.

* * *

Evening approached and the sun started making its westward retreat, as per its daily routine. As many students stayed on campus with their after school activities, many were headed home.

Jean and Marco were no exception to that rule.

"Hey." Jean said as Marco came to his car. He'd been sitting with the door open and the sunroof as well to observe the few appearing evening stars.

"Hey yourself." Marco said, not as inviting as Jean had expected.

After sticking his key in the ignition and starting the car, he waited for Marco to get inside and put on his seatbelt before speaking. "So, how'd it go?"

Marco put on his seatbelt, then urged Jean to do the same, and then replied. "Not too well."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Reiner won't talk to me about it anymore. He says it'll just be a pain to talk about something that'll never be…" Marco said as he leaned against the car window.

After pulling out of the parking lot and getting on the road, Jean sighed in defeat. He and Marco both suffered for simply trying to reach out and help where help was apparently not wanted.

"How'd it go with Bertholdt?"

"Same."

"No way!"

"Way. I saw him in the library after Marie told me to go look for him and… well… when I got him alone to discuss the matter, he brushed me off almost completely. He seemed nervous about it, if that means anything. Guy started sweating and the air conditioner was on… Maybe Reiner fucked him against his will and he doesn't want to remember it." Jean said, knowing the last part probably wasn't true. Probably.

"Your sense of humor is dark sometimes… If that were the case, they wouldn't talk anymore, Jean. But still… I don't know what to do anymore…"

"Maybe we should give up? I mean, if they don't want to be together, they don't want to be together. Nothing we can do about it. It's not our place to try playing match maker, anyway. I know you mean well in trying to help them, but they don't seem to want assistance."

Marco closed his eyes and let the hum of the tires running against the pavement console him. It was true. He had no duty to see this come about. No one forced him and Jean together, really. It happened because they  _wanted_  to be together. Perhaps the same could not be said for Reiner and Bertholdt for the simple fact that they were probably content with a platonic relationship.

Still… the look Reiner gave that day in the library could easily refute that idea hands down.

"Marco, let's forget about it for a while. We're depressing ourselves… Well, ah… no, scratch that.  _You're_  depressing yourself and I'm just getting kinda irritated. Not to mention Reiner and Bertholdt aren't my favorite people to be around." Jean came to a stop at a red light in just the right time. Reaching over, he placed his hand on Marco's, who opened his eyes and looked at him. "What we have is brand new. And because we keep focusing on everything but us, we don't get to do anything together or even enjoy the relationship we have. I mean, we haven't even gone on a date yet. I say we just focus on our relationship and let them work things out themselves."

"Jean…"

Jean gave Marco's hand a light squeeze, "You're a really great guy. I'll always appreciate your kindness and goodwill, but focus on yourself and your happiness for now. It's okay to think of yourself and what you want, you know."

"…" Marco looked down to the hand holding on to his. With a nod, he let a smile take him, "Yeah. It's just… different when you grow up the way I did. So many siblings and family members makes a person think less of themselves and more of others. But… I'm an adult now and I can't think of the last time I paid attention to my own life… I'm sorry. It seems I haven't given you the attention you deserve, Jean."

"It's fine. We're this far, aren't we?" Jean smiled reassuringly, "I like that you don't smother me with attention." Marco's resulting smile was quite welcome, "The fair is coming to town this weekend, right? Let's go to there and check it out."

"Okay, that sounds good."

"It'll be our first actual date, heh."

"Yeah, you think we'd have come up with something date-like to do by now that didn't involve other friends and video games."

"Come to think of it, you've been blowing me off lately for reading and housework and I don't appreciate that. Get online tonight and play some quests of A Real Reborn with me."

"… _If_  I have time." Marco teased.

"Do it or I make you come over to my house and we'll play there."

"Okay, okay. Anything for you, dear."

"Dear? I'm not the wife!"

"That's not what the others think…"

"Rrgh! Whatever…" Jean said. It wasn't like he cared what everyone thought, anyway. "Let's you and me go get something to eat before I take you home."

The light changed from red to green, almost metaphoric in its ways.


	19. Prize, Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains mature material!

"You know, I'm a bit surprised you offered to do something like this." Marco said over the phone as he slid shirts in his closet out of the way to decide on something to wear. The weather was warming up the slightest bit, meaning spring was right around the corner. That didn't mean his amazing winter clothes were obsolete. It just meant the days in which he, and everyone else, could dress stylishly via layers were nearing their end only to be replaced by finding the minimal amount of clothes to wear in the warm spring.

"Yeah, well I figured we'd change things up a bit. It could be fun. After all, I went there as a kid from time to time." Jean replied. "Are you almost ready?"

"Uhhm…  _aaalmost_ …" Marco fibbed. "Where are you?"

"I'm just leaving the town and heading towards your place."

"Okay, I'll be ready when you get here."

"Alright."

"I've gotta take a shower and everything, and you shouldn't be talking on the phone while you're driving! So we'll talk when you get here."

"Cool. I won't be long."

"Alright. Adios."

"Okay. Way to live up to who I thought you were, Señor." He said, mumbling the last term.

"Huh? What?"

"Bye." Jean grinned as he ended the call. Honestly, Marco was such a fun guy to tease... Or, poke fun at. Yeah, that sounded manlier.

* * *

When she saw her brother come out of the hallway with a thick, dark green button-down shirt, dark blue jeans that were tighter than they were baggy, two black bracelets, and a clean pair of red converse, Marlene raised an eyebrow and took a few seconds to stop talking to her friend over the phone to speak, "Where are  _you_  going? For once you look like you're not the redheaded stepchild."

"Hardy har har." Marco fake-laughed as he retreated back into the hallway. He'd spent about ten minutes in front of the mirror to make sure he looked nice for his and Jean's date, but a last-minute check never hurt anybody.

Everything was on point.

His hair was neatly styled. His teeth sparkled, like they always did. His freckles were ever-present, which he knew Jean adored. No dry skin was anywhere to be seen. He even got close to make sure he had no unsightly hairs growing between his eyebrows.

From a glance, anyone would think he was a perfectly handsome young man—that he just woke up that way. But he actually spent his fair share of time in the bath and in front of the mirror to make sure he was presentable. Flawless wasn't what he ever went for, but since college started, he'd often times received compliments from friends, and even Marlene—the fashion queen—on one rare occasion prior to today, about how good he looked. Jean was no exception. There were many days in their time being in a relationship where he'd told him he looked way too nice and preppy.

A horn blew outside and Marco's phone vibrated right after it did. "Speak of the devil." He said with a grin, hurrying out the bathroom.

Marlene leaned completely over to see who it was waiting outside that Marco was looking so nice for as her brother left through the front door. When the door shut, she jumped up and rushed over to it and yanked it open.

It was that horse-faced guy who had come over a few times. She recognized his nice little car.

Now she was confuzzled. That guy wasn't that special at all. Why look nice for him?

* * *

"You look nice." Jean said as he waited for Marco to put on his seat belt. When Marco did just that with a grin, he shifted gears and backed out of the driveway. "Guess I look like an orphan compared to you."

"No, you look great!" Marco jumped to say.

Jean really did look fine. A white button-down with a large maroon stripe running the length of it and navy blue, pocket-plentiful sweats were what he'd decided to wear today. Like Marco, his bottoms were surprisingly tight… to say they were sweat pants. His combat boots were a surprise for sure. It was… an  _odd_  ensemble, but it was Jean's.

"You don't have to lie. This was all I had that was clean." He admitted.

Marco shook his head, "I really do think you look fine. But still… you haven't done laundry? Shame on you."

"Well, Mom usually does it for me. But I told her I'd do it on my own from now on. I just haven't gotten to it yet… You shoulda seen it though. She was beside herself with shock when I told her. That's the  _only_  thing she doesn't ask me to do around the house often, surprisingly."

"Guess you swiped the rug from under her. Or… the dirty clothes in this case."

It was a lame joke, but one that encouraged a mutual chuckle.

* * *

The drive back to town was enjoyably short. A bit quiet, apart from the radio playing lowly, but still enjoyable. The fair was taking place near the main park right outside the mall. All in all, it covered at least two blocks. The area was actually quite beautiful year-round. The winter snow made the trees look like they came out of a fairy tale and the lakes froze over into the perfect ice-skating rinks. The spring always made the park home to a myriad of vibrant flowers. Summer weather made it an ideal place to be on a nice, cloudy day; and all the trees that grew at the park's perimeter were the perfect places for shade or picnics. And autumn brought the wondrous colors to the trees that it was known to just before they lost it all and piles and piles of leaves were swept around by the wind.

All in all, the park was the perfect place for the fair. Parking was even problematic even despite the many people present.

"Man, I haven't been here in a while…" Jean said as he got out of his car and locked it when Marco did the same.

"Yeah, and this weather change is making it a nice time to come. It's not too cold, and it's not raining either."

The two of them went on into the bustling crowds of families, couples, and friends all immersing themselves in the many festivities. There were many things to do. A petting zoo for the kids. There were concessions at almost every corner. And, of course, many amusement park rides like a Ferris Wheel and bumper cars were set up for everyone's enjoyment.

Jean wondered as he walked beside Marco how many people knew they were here on a date. As boyfriends.

"Hey, let's go to the pirate ship!" Marco suddenly said with an undeniably excited look on his face.

"Pirate ship…? No. Please, not that ride." Jean pleaded. Anything but that one.

"But… that one is one of the most fun rides here. C'mon! Don't make me go alone!"

Jean stuffed his hands into his pockets and sighed. He really despised that ride.

When they got to it, the line wasn't unbearably long. They were actually seated not even two minutes after getting there. The ride operator made sure everyone was fastened in, then headed back to the operating panel. After he moved a lever and stepped back, the ship trembled.

Jean closed his eyes and gripped the safety bar covering his lap with both hands. The second the ride started moving backwards, he felt a hand pull one of his from the bar and hold on to it.

It was Marco's, of course. He smiled reassuringly, his freckles complimenting it, as the ride swung forward with little momentum.

Admittedly, the first minute or two of the ride was bearable. However, when the ship started moving back and forward so fast that it seemed it would go in a full rotation, that's when Jean closed his eyes again and started inwardly cursing the laughing freckle-faced man sitting beside him.

He really hated the pirate ship ride.

…

"Cotton candy?" Marco offered as he and Jean made their way to the petting zoo.

"Nah.. I don't think I can eat anymore sweets." Jean said, rubbing his stomach. After they took a short break from rides to buy some food, he'd inhaled a few too many funnel cakes.

As they came upon the goats, Marco smiled and leaned on the fence to pet a baby goat. It was so amazingly adorable. Too adorable to ignore.

"You sure like animals, huh? You take care of them at home and then play with them when you're out and see 'em, huh?" Jean commented as he leaned on the fence as well.

"Animals are great. I actually wanna get my own dogs when I move out." Marco replied as he ran his hand along the goat's back.

"Move out? When do you plan to do that?"

"Eventually. I'm actually considering moving into the city either here in Maria, or maybe in Rose or Sina."

Jean's heart sank like an anchor. "Rose or Sina?" he unintentionally repeated.

"Well, only kinda. I wanna live in the capital, but I also like it here too. I honestly feel like I couldn't leave this place for good even if I tried."

"Why not?" Jean was upset, disappointed, and quite bummed hearing these plans. Marco had thought this out and hadn't even consulted him? Granted, they'd only been dating a few weeks. But still…

"Because you and the others are here. Maybe I'll get one of those jobs where I can afford to have two houses. One in the capital and one here in Maria."

Jean simply looked to the hay-covered ground. "I guess you'll do what you want."

"Well… I wouldn't do it without heavy consideration. Besides, you and I have a future… or… at least… I want us to."

With an eyebrow raised, Jean looked back at Marco, "A future?"

"Yeah…" the obsidian-haired man looked away nervously, "Not that I've thought about it at all… …But… …Erm… …Well… If we stay together long enough… I would think we'd just kinda… do what most couples do."

Jean's heartbeat quickened. "You don't mean get married, do you?"

Marco threw his hands up defensively. "Now, I didn't say that! I was just thinking that I want us to be together for a long time. And my future plans would include you."

Jean blushed and averted his gaze. "You think too much. What makes you think we  _could_  even do something like  _that_?"

"Well, Ymir."

"Ymir?"

"Well, not directly. But she is always saying how she's gonna marry Historia. If I'm not mistaken, there are some towns and even a few cities that do that kind of thing. I looked it up."

Jean grew unexpectedly eager. The thought of having a future with Marco was something that he never really gave much consideration. He felt bad for thinking they wouldn't be together past senior year, but he now realized that the saying, "where there's a will, there's a way," was quite applicable here. If Marco believed it could be so, and if he gave just as much belief as Marco, then yes, they could possibly spend their adult lives together in whatever way they saw fit.

"We're gonna be fine. I'd make the trips for you even if you went all the way up to Utopia District."

A smile graced Marco's face and he leaned closer to Jean so their shoulders touched. Honestly, he was glad for today. This date had been a very good idea.

* * *

"You're so close!"

"I know!" Jean shouted as he shot the watergun so it hit the target perfectly. The first time he fired, he didn't hit the target at all. The second time, he got it perfectly. If he could keep this target for longer than ten seconds, he could still win a prize!

"Wow, nice shootin'!" The booth operator said as he handed Jean a stuffed monkey from the second shelf. "Second place prizes aren't so bad, either."

"Thanks." Jean said as he took the monkey and left.

Marco followed after him with a smile. "This has been a pretty fun day!"

"Here." Jean stopped and wrapped the monkey around Marco's neck, Velcro-ing its hands together to keep it there.

"What? You did that… for me?"

"Well, it's romantic, right?"

"Um…"

"If you don't want it-"

Marco silenced Jean by leaning in and kissing him on the cheek, then smiled as he took his hand. "Of course I want it! Thank you."

Instinctively, Jean lifted his hand and palmed his face to hide his embarrassment. "What if someone saw that?!" he said nervously.

"Oh, I'm sure losta people saw that." Marco grinned innocently. "I  _want_  them to know we're together. I'm proud to be with you."

"Eh… now I feel like a bad guy."

"No, no! You may be a tad grumpy from time to time, short-tempered, foul-mouthed, and irritable-"

"Hey now…"

"But you're not a bad guy! I know you're also proud to be with me. For you, though, it's just a different process. I don't expect you to suddenly kiss me in public. We can hardly walk side-by-side without you getting nervous."

"I'm sorry.."

"If I weren't okay with it, I wouldn't be dating you. It's fine. Take your time with this."

Jean looked Marco in the eyes, this time without care for his surroundings. "I love you." he said.

"I love you, too." The taller of the two replied with a warm smile.

"Let's… go back to my place."

"Really? Aren't your parents home?"

"Then your place." Jean countered.

"Well,  _my_  parents are probably at home…"

"Somewhere!"

"Fine, I'm teasing." Marco said and then chuckled lightheartedly, "My place is fine."

"Hey, but… before we do… Let's get on the Ferris Wheel."

"Really? You wanna do that?"

"Yeah. You get to see so much of the city from it." Jean's unintentional insistence was borderline adorable. He was like a child now and didn't even realize it.

With a nod, Marco finished his cotton candy and the two of them shuffled towards the massive wheel, playing with each other by bumping their hips or shoulders together as they did.

And, just as Jean had said, the Ferris Wheel gave a grand view of the city. To one side, Wall Maria and the hundreds of buildings in front of it could be seen. To the other, grand expanses of land were laid out beyond the business district of town. However, this fleeting daytime beauty would soon turn to enchanting night. And Jean had every reason to want to get back home.

Staring across the way at Marco, he smiled a little bit. And then he found himself wanting to be closer to him as the ride rotated slowly. Just as he got up to move, the ride stopped, causing the gondola to shift back and forth, and he fell forward onto the seat.

"Jean! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine..." said man got out as he rubbed his throbbing, red-glowing face consolingly. Face-planting onto plastic, or anything really, was never pleasant.

"Here, let me see." Marco said, and then gently rested his hands on Jean's cheeks so he could take a close look at his face. "Looks like you just-"

"Just kiss me!" Jean shouted a bit too loudly. Thankfully, it seemed he didn't draw the attention of any of the people in the area.

Marco smiled and leaned forward, complying with his boyfriend's demand.

* * *

All in all, the fair wound up being a splendid idea. It faintly brought back the memories and feelings of childhood, yet it also invited the mysterious and benevolent feelings of being in a relationship with a person one truly cares for. For Jean, it was a bit of an eye-opener. Marco was quite a brave guy with a bright future. He wasn't sure if their relationship could withstand the strain of distance, but he knew for sure that he wasn't ready to just let it drop because of something so stupid. He truly didn't want to lose Marco.

Currently, the two of them were standing on Marco's doorstep, caught in the cold winds of the night that were whirling over the countryside.

"Where is your family?" Jean asked upon walking into the house and noticing it was unusually empty.

"Hmm.. Mom and Dad had a party to go to in the city. My older siblings don't really live here unless they're visiting… Marlene probably went out with her friends. And Janie and Leah are spending the night with a friend of theirs. So I have the house to myself for awhile." Marco replied as he walked inside and closed and locked the door.

"Cool." Jean said as he headed on to Marco's room.

After following Jean through the hallway and getting into his room and closing the door, Marco smiled at him, "Hey, do you think you're gonna spend the-" Before he could finish his question, he found Jean's warm lips unexpectedly pressed up against his own. He returned the sudden kiss, of course. Kissing Jean always made him feel those butterflies in his lower gut.

Now forced up against the wall, he felt hands gripping his hair tightly and completely submitted to Jean. He was clearly very in the mood tonight. And the feeling was intensely, almost aggressively, mutual.

Moving from the wall to the bed took no time at all, and Marco just so happened to be the one underneath. Reaching out, he slid his hands up Jean's arms and gently squeezed them as they continued their heated kiss.

Jean kicked his boots off and slid out of his outermost layer of clothing, tossing them to the floor in a blissful surge of lust. Now just in his underwear and socks, he felt the need to assist Marco in removing his clothes. He looked down and saw that Marco had already stripped out of his pants and shoes. "Eager, huh?" he asked with a grin.

"Shh." Marco insisted, pulling Jean down by wrapping his arms around his neck.

Their lips met once again, both immediately parting so their tongues could meet and dance together. Jean pulled away and moved so he could start nipping at Marco's ear. "Marco, where do you keep it?"

"Keep what?"

"Lube."

"Oh!" Marco blushed. "I don't have any. I have lotion… Is that okay? We've used that before.."

"Should be fine this time, too." Jean replied, now trying to get his socks off without using his hands.

Crawling over to his nightstand, Marco picked up the bottle of lotion and then pulled the drawer out. "I'm also out of condoms…"

"I've got one."

"Oh, good."

"Although, I'm all for goin' in without it…"

"What? You're going to-"

Jean enthusiastically pinned Marco down on the bed and kissed him. "Yeah. I'm ganna put it in you."

Without a word of reply, Marco simply nodded with red creeping all over his handsome, freckled face. He closed his eyes when he felt Jean start trailing kisses down his torso, dipping his tongue into his navel on the way. The sudden feeling of warmth surrounding his increasingly erecting penis made him shudder and release a heavy, desperate moan. The feeling of Jean blowing him was numbingly intoxicating. "God…" he moaned. Taking a chance, he looked down and met that surprisingly seductive gaze being thrown his way.

"Heh, you're so fun to play with." Jean said with a grin and took Marco by the underside of his knees, then lifted him up a bit.

"Jean, don't!" Marco cried out at the wet, warm feeling of that majestic tongue on his hole. "It's… not clean…"

"So?" Jean replied, then went back to casually licking over Marco's invitingly warm rear end.

"Oh… mmh…" the feeling was strange, yet delightful for such a  _dirty_  deed. Throwing his head back so his chin pointed at the ceiling, Marco bit his lower lip. "If you… wanna do that then don't kiss me." He managed to say when it grew in pleasure from Jean's insistent tongue.

When he felt Jean stop giving that area attention, he relaxed with a sigh of relief. Though, the sound of Jean preparing himself for entry made him look down.

Jean looked incredibly desirable, sitting on his knees stroking the lotion onto himself with his eyes closed.

"You're not using a condom?"

"Nah. You're not playing dirty, are you?"

"No I'm not!" Marco said, embarrassed that he was asked something like that. He'd been tested. "You're not either?"

"Of course not." Jean answered, leaning forward and pressing up against Marco. Gently, he pushed inside him.

Marco took the sheets into his hands in a tight grasp and closed his eyes, knowing the pain of Jean's instrument would eventually subside and be replaced with pleasure. He did not expect the comforting kiss on the cheek he received. Opening his eyes and turning, he kissed the side of Jean's mouth. This led to an awkward but especially loving kiss between them.

Once he felt his skin touch Marco's ass, Jean laid down on top of him and stopped moving altogether. Their chests pressed against one another's and heartbeats drumming together like a stampede provided a silent unity of inescapable love. Marco made the first move and wrapped his arms around Jean's torso, urging him to begin.

And that's exactly what Jean did, slowly, so it could be more bearable. After all, he'd been in this situation and knew the feeling. And even though Marco wasn't exactly a virgin to this kind of thing, Jean wasn't so unmindful that he would disregard the fact that he didn't simply fall into Marco like he was a well or something. "Tell me if this hurts or anything." He finally said after a few seconds of moving in and out.

"No, it's… fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, you can speed up if you want."

"Oh, right!" Jean blushed.

Marco unintentionally ran his fingernails along the man's back, earning a long and low grunt from him in the process. "Sorry!" he apologized, retracting his hands.

"No, it's fine."

From Jean's increasing pace, Marco slipped up until his head hit the headboard where it banged against it gently. When Jean quickly slid him back down so he avoided hitting it, he smiled a little. "Thanks."

"Yeah."

Jean took Marco's legs and lifted them over his shoulders, earning him a much better angle. Taking full advantage of it, he sped up until he felt sweat starting to run down his brow and chest. "Marco, you cum first…" he exhaled, throwing his head back.

"Wha-oh!" Taking his forgotten member into his hand, Marco started stroking fervently. The pleasure generated from his own efforts, Jean's continuous ramming against his prostate, and the simple idea that it was the man he loved giving him this feeling was an insurmountable one. And it was the combination of all those things, along with a sudden kiss from Jean that pushed him to his peak.

His firing range was much shorter than Jean's had been their first time together, barely making a mess on their stomachs.

The pulsing around his dick made Jean bite his lip and moan as he came inside Marco. Panting heavily, he pulled out, fell forward, and buried his face in the small of his lover's neck. For some reason, he found himself quickly interested in tangling his fingers in Marco's thick, soft hair.

"Jean, that was..." Marco panted and smiled, "that was amazing."

"Yeah, that's for sure, heh." The man replied.

Running his hands along Jean's backside that was wet with sweat, Marco closed his eyes. He could have laid there forever if that were possible. But for tonight, he would settle for holding this man close until they slipped from consciousness.

Not long after they fell asleep, a gentle vibration came from Marco's pants pocket, lighting the fabric faintly in the dark room until the screen shut off and the surprise message became an unspoken victim of the night.


	20. Better Now than Before

"Honey, are you okay?" Jean's mother asked as she came into the kitchen and saw her son sitting at the table with a look of anxiety on his face. She had her thick, white robe wrapped snugly around her on this cool morning and mumbled something about how Jean's father always ruled the thermostat as she adjusted it.

Jean looked out the French doors and shook his head. "Nothing… I guess I'm just tired."

"Hmm." His mom said as she started preparing coffee. "How's school been going? I know we haven't had much time to talk about it. We've all been so busy these days." She said with her back to him as she rinsed two mugs out.

"It's going."

"You really are like your father. I'm sure there's something you want to talk about." She smiled as she came over and took a seat in the chair across from her son. After running her hand through her hair, she looked out the doors at the morning sky.

"Not that I can think of.."

"No classes you like? No clubs you joined? No girls you're seeing?"

Jean sighed and gave a simple "no".

"How's Marco?"

"He's fine."

"Jean, say something. You don't have to hide anything from me."

Jean desperately swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "I'm… not." What the hell was she talking about hiding things for?

Instead of saying anything, Jean's mother just sat there and smiled at the mess of paperwork on the table. "Your father must've left this mess this morning. He's getting ready for retirement and all… Back when we were just getting to know each other, everyone told me it was strange that I was dating him, since he was ten years older than me. I was in college just like you." Hazelnut eyes gazed up at her. "Nowadays things are so different, though. I'm sure it's not so uncommon to date someone older than you.  _A lot_  of things are different, really." She finished, and then got up and went over to fill a mug with the fresh coffee.

"Mom… wh-"

"It's okay, honey. If you don't want to talk about anything, I won't force you to." And with that, she picked up the mug and headed to the refrigerator for cream.

Jean clenched his sweaty hands into fists and looked out the doors again. His heart was beating fast and, even despite the room still being cold since the heater had  _just_  come on, he felt incredibly hot. "I'm… dating Marco. He's… I…"

"Oh my god! Sweetie! It's okay!" After hurrying over to the table, Jean's mother sat down in the chair to the left of him instead of across like before. "It is. I know you might've thought it was something you had to sneak around about and hide, but it's not. Trust me. Your father and I will love you regardless of who you are seeing. When you love someone, you love them the same no matter what. You're still my baby, and you  _always_  will be."

Jean avoided looking at her as she continued to tell him about how much he meant to them and how they would never think less of him. "Mom… Marco left." He said, halting her attempts to further verbalize her feelings.

"What?"

"He just left. I was at his house last night, and when I woke up this morning he was gone. He didn't call or text me and I've left him lots of messages."

"Oh no… Did he seem upset or in distress at all?"

"No, we were actually having a good night. …I'm worried about him."

"Did you talk to his parents or family?"

"No one was there all night or this morning. But he doesn't drive, so I don't think he could've gone anywhere by choice."

Ms. Kirstein's hand came up to cover her mouth. "…Call the MPs. It's probably the best idea to report this-" The doorbell rang, interrupting the two who were mildly fretting in the kitchen. "I wonder who that could be at this early hour…"

Both Jean and his mother got up and went to the living room. Jean hoped as he opened the door that he'd be reunited with that freckled, smiling face he yearned so much for. He was greeted with quite the opposite when he did open it, though. "Reiner?"

"Yeah." The bulky man replied, then forced his way inside.

"How rude! Who is this, Jean?!" Jean's mother asked as she grabbed for an umbrella from behind the door to use as a weapon.

"It's okay! He's… a friend… or something! I don't know but it's not important."

Reluctantly, his mother stepped back and then went back into the kitchen mumbling something along the lines of how Reiner almost got his head smashed.

Reiner sighed, "Look, I don't exactly want to be here-"

"Then why are you?" Jean interrupted.

"I'm looking for clues about where Bertholdt went."

Standing silent after hearing that for a bit longer than necessary to process it, Jean snapped. "What the hell!? Why on EARTH would you start HERE?!"

"It's a long story. Well.. not really long, just not worth mentioning."

"I'm listening either way." Jean folded his arms and leaned against his front door.

"Fine. I started with  _you_  because I can't exactly make it out to Marco's house with the gas I have in my truck."

"Wh-"

"I haven't been paid yet, okay?! Anyway, I came to one of you two because I know you've both been paying special attention to what he and I are up to… even though it's none of your business. Bertholdt even mentioned that he had something he wanted to talk to Marco about, so I need a ride out to his place."

"Why should I help you? The bus is running."

"Are you even listening to me? Bertholdt is gone and I need help finding him. Give me Marco's number and I'll talk to him if you just wanna stand here being an ass."

"You've got a funny way of asking for things. Why are you overreacting, anyway? He left of his own accord, right?"

"Ugh, I knew you wouldn't be any help." Reiner said just before he walked over to the front door and stormed out. Jean stood in place, silently, contemplating what he should do. He wasn't by any means obligated to help Reiner. And their history of insults and passive aggressiveness didn't make him want to, but still… he did seem very worried…

"Yo! Reiner! What are you doing here?" the sound of Connie's voice made Jean's eyes go wide. He rushed to the door and pulled it open. Sure as the sky was blue, Connie was walking up Jean's walkway. Behind him was Sasha and Historia.

Connie's parents drove off, his mother waving out the window and saying they'd be back to pick him up soon.

Reiner, halfway into his truck, got inside and laid back against the seat, sighing heavily. "I was just leaving." He replied.

"Connie." Jean called, "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to hang." Connie replied. He was looking fairly relaxed in his university sweats and jacket. Those bothersome headphones were hanging around his neck, as usual. Sasha was wearing thick shorts and leggings with a dark purple coat that stopped just before the shorts' hem. Her hair pulled up in its usual ponytail. And Historia was wearing a light gray pea coat with black leggings and those brown, cloth boots that girls liked to wear in the winter.

"I… I don't really have time for-"

"Yeah, Jean's too busy being an asshole." Reiner interrupted, now standing outside of his truck.

"You're  _still_  here?" Jean squinted.

"Oh no! We can't leave anymore because Connie's parents are gone." Sasha declared.

"Why not? Connie, where's your car?" Jean asked.

"Oh, it got totaled a few days ago. I'm getting a new one next week sometime." Connie replied, again as if the things he said and did were no big deal. Especially buying a new car, which most people had to work years for before they could do.

Feeling a bit like an asshole for wanting to rush Connie off after hearing that, Jean sighed and relinquished some of his irritation. "Come in…" he said.

"Reiner," Historia began, "What are you doing here?"

"It's a long… ugh… never mind." Reiner said.

* * *

"So you're going to look for Marco and Bertholdt?" Connie asked, comfortably seated on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate, courtesy of Mrs. Kirstein, in his hand.

"Yes. Reiner said Bertholdt wanted to talk to Marco, so if we find one of them, maybe we'll find the other. If I'm being honest, I'm just looking for Marco. Whatever Bertholdt is doing is his business." Jean replied from where he was leaning against the wall. For some reason, he couldn't sit down. Too many things running through his mind for that…

"If they're together, you don't have to worry, right?" Historia asked.

"That's right." Sasha added. "They seem like they'd be okay together."

"We don't know if they're together for sure." Jean replied. "And even if they were, where did they even go? Why didn't Marco tell me…?" This was frustrating. He just wanted to see Marco again. "Reiner, have you called Bertholdt?"

"I didn't have my phone with me when I went to find him… But regardless, his parents said he might have gone north."

"North?" Jean asked. "What for?"

"Didn't…" Connie hesitated, "Didn't Annie go to Stohess?" he asked.

A silence was what his question was greeted with.

"She did. And I was thinking that maybe we should go see her." Reiner replied, breaking silence.

"There's no way I'm going if that's the case." Jean said, drawing everyone's attention. "Marco wouldn't go with Bertholdt to see that girl."

"Umm… In any case, maybe going to see Annie would be a good idea." Sasha commented.

Connie agreed. "Yeah. Besides, it's the weekend and I've got nothing else to do. Let's go to the capital!" he said eagerly.

"In what?" Reiner asked, "My truck is out of gas."

"I can give you gas money if it's to go to the capital."

"I want to go, too." Sasha said, matching Connie's eagerness.

"My truck's a three seater. Should be enough for everyone… unless you want to go, Historia. Then Connie will just sit in the bed."

Jean folded his arms. "Ugh, fine. I'll drive. Everyone can fit in my car." He said, surprising everyone with his sudden change in decision.

"What are you going for? You were so against it just a few minutes ago." Reiner commented.

"I want to find Marco. Sitting around at home and letting two bumbling space cases and a muscle-headed lummox handle it isn't exactly a comforting idea. Even if you had Historia with you, I don't think that'd be enough to keep you guys from doing something crazy."

Connie stood up and stretched. "You sure have a way with words." He said, then turned his attention to the sky just outside the living room window. "If we're gonna go, let's go. The trip'll be a few hours. If we head out now, we'll get there long before nightfall."

"I don't need you to tell me that." Jean said, then walked over to the table near the door and picked up his keys. "Let's go. Mom! I'll be back later!" he called.

"Okay! I'll try to get in touch with the Bodt family to see where Marco is!" Ms. Kirstein said from the kitchen.

A trip to the capital with these goons. Jean hoped this didn't get worse.

* * *

Earlier that same morning.

As Bertholdt sat at a gas station quietly observing the people going about their business where such places are concerned, he tapped his steering wheel with his thumb and started wondering if he maybe should have let Reiner know what it was he was doing. You know, instead of just running off without warning. Reiner—the man who had always been there for him growing up. Reiner—the man who swore that his love was unconditional and would be there until they grew old and withered away from the world. Reiner—the man who saw potential in him and encouraged him to join the track team.

Reiner…

He'd been thinking about him too much lately…

Bertholdt's dark brown eyes looked at the doors to the gas station when Marco came out. Marco was such a nice guy; agreeing to come along like this after such short notice and being asked not to tell anyone about this. Bertholdt didn't know how it was that such an amazing guy could wind up with a guy like Jean, but to each their own.

"Sorry! That drink ran right through me." Marco apologized as he got into the car and put on his seatbelt.

"It's fine." Bertholdt said with a small smile, then started the car and pulled out of the gas station.

"How much longer 'til we get to Stohess? I've never been this far into the kingdom before."

"About fifteen minutes."

Marco smiled, "Good."

"By the way, I'm glad you came along."

"Oh! No, it's fine! I'll admit it was a surprise, but if you need someone for emotional support, I can't think of anyone else you'd ask. We're not the closest friends, but if you think I'm a good fit for this, then I'm happy to help you."

A gentle, appreciative smile found its way to Bertholdt's otherwise unexpressive face. "You're one heck of a guy."

* * *

"Did you need any gas or anything?" Historia asked Jean as they traversed the long road that led to Wall Rose. She was seated safely under the seatbelt in the passenger's seat of Jean's car.

"No, not really. And it's not really your responsibility to ask me about that. I'd say it's more Reiner's." Jean said, looking back at the bulky blonde in the back seat.

"You needed to go anyway." Reiner said, then looked out the window.

He, Connie, and Sasha were all seated in the backseat driver's area. Connie, since he was the second smallest of everyone in the car, was seated in the middle of them. Somehow, everyone felt compelled to let Historia sit up front. She seemed good with directions and had been to Wall Sina before for family reasons.

"Whatever. This is all your boyfriend's fault. If Marco hadn't gone with him, if he even did at all, then I wouldn't need to chase him across the freakin' kingdom. He'd be in bed with me right now."

"Bertholdt is not my boyfriend." Reiner corrected.

"Really?" Sasha asked. "Now, I thought you two were a thing."

Reiner looked at her quickly in surprise, "What?!"

"You two do spend a lot of time together. Even more time than he ever spent with Annie, someone he claimed to like." Connie added.

"You guys don't know anything…"

"Why're you so desperate to go after him, then? What he does in his free time has nothing to do with you." Jean said, further encouraging this barrage of inquiries and assumptions on the man.

"He's…"

"Reiner, it's fine if you do like him. None of us would ever judge you." Historia insisted with a smile.

"Can we just not talk about this?" Reiner asked.

Silence quickly grabbed hold of the inside of the car and refused to let go. And so, the ride to the inner city became a sightseeing venture, rather than a bonding one filled with laughs and stories. But even though it was silent, the others understood that for Reiner, admitting something like having feelings for another man wasn't the easiest task.

In time, he'd come around.

* * *

Once they arrived in Stohess, after a few hours of heavy silence-turned into radio listening, Jean felt himself growing a bit nervous about where he was. One wrong turn and who knew what could happen? "Historia, do you know where Annie is? She transferred to the Stohess campus of Sina, didn't she?" he asked.

"Yes, we're not too far from it. If you keep on this street and make a right on University Avenue, we'll get there."

"This'll be different. I've never been to this part of the capital before." Connie said.

Sasha kept her eyes glued to the nice business buildings they passed along the way. "The campus probably looks nice since they're more funded than Maria."

"Yeah, but look how cramped this town is. At least we got freedom." Jean said. He couldn't believe Marco would even consider coming to the capital to stay one day.

"Right here." Historia instructed as the turn came up.

Jean made the turn, almost hitting a pedestrian in the process, and drove on to where he could see a slight change in layout. Surprisingly enough, the campus was much more expansive than he thought it'd be. There were large, open areas with grass, a park, and multiple walkways. Buildings weren't crammed up beside one another like he thought they'd be, but were instead spread out quite neatly. And the main building, with a clock tower at its center, was the size of at least three of Maria University's major departments' buildings.

The campus was decorated for the winter with large banners welcoming students back from the break, winter wreaths placed meticulously on the buildings, and other things that were tenderly inviting.

"Historia, how come you don't go here? Aren't you rich?" Connie suddenly asked.

"That's not something you should ask her!" Sasha said, nudging him with her elbow. "She could ask you the same thing!"

"No, it's fine." Historia said, " _I'm_  not  _personally_  rich. My father takes no interest in me apart from sending me a monthly stipend. I don't want to be closer to him, which I would be if I came here or any other place in the capital. I've actually started working so I can take care of myself and not have to be in contact with him at all. And… also, I can't just leave Ymir. She's where I feel at home; where I feel happy. If I didn't have her there to encourage me, I don't know if I'd be able to go on…"

"Are you two getting married, or was that just her spreading rumors?" Connie asked.

"I don't know. I wouldn't be against it." The girl replied as she stared out the window at the beautiful campus and preppy students passing her by.

"There's Bertholdt's car!" Reiner suddenly shouted and jumped up to grab Jean's seat.

"Jeez! You could scare me half to death!" Jean said, then went over to the parking lot in front of the dormitories where he saw Bertholdt's car. After parking, he made to turn his car off.

However, his eyes went wide when he saw Marco walking towards the library a ways away.

"What are you doing?!" Reiner asked when Jean started backing out of the parking space.

"I'm going to see Marco!"

"Why are you driving?! There are no parking spaces available over there!"

Jean put his foot on the brake and put the car in park again. "Shit! I hate when you're right!" he said, then turned the car off and hopped out of it. "Find Bertholdt and punch him in the face for me, Connie!" he ordered as he ran to where his boyfriend was.

"Like hell!" Reiner said.

"Oh my gosh just admit you like him!" Sasha commented.

"Hey, there he is!" Historia pointed out, then opened her door and got out of the car. "Bertholdt!"

Reiner got out and headed towards the silent giant, who was making his way out of the dormitory.

Bertholdt looked a bit confused when Reiner reached him and yanked him into a tight hug. "What's-"

"Bertholdt, you can't just fucking leave like that! Your parents weren't sure where you went, you didn't tell me anything… I was… worried, man." Reiner said with his forehead pressed against the taller man's collar bone.

"Reiner… You came after me?"

"Of course! Idiot!"

"That was so irresponsible of you."

"Look who's talking!"

"…" Bertholdt leaned forward and pressed his nose into Reiner's hair. "I came here to tell her."

Reiner pulled away a bit. "You?! You did that?! I don't believe it…"

"Yeah. Marco being here with me gave me the courage. I talked with him a bit about what happened with him and Jean, and it helped me realize what I needed to do."

"What did she say?"

"She turned me down." Bertholdt admitted shamelessly.

"Wh—why are you smiling, then?"

"Because… I can finally move on. I can give my time and attention to someone who deserves it, not to someone who ignored me."

Reiner stepped back, but was pulled into a hug again. "Bert-"

"I feel the same. I have for a long time, and it confused me. I was conflicted about who I really liked. Annie was so interesting, but she always ignored me. You're fun to be around, you believe in me even when I don't believe in myself, and you genuinely want to spend your time with me. When you ambushed me on Christmas, I was shocked and scared. I wasn't ready to face you because I wasn't ready to admit that I liked you to myself. And I still liked Annie… But part of growing up is realizing what you want and need are two different things. I wanted her because she was attractive, but also quiet like me. But I need you because you're here when I need you to be, you're always pushing me to do my best, and you cheer me up when I'm feeling like hell. I wouldn't say there's no sense of want that I have for you, though." Bertholdt said, finishing with a geeky smile.

Reiner smiled, "Of course. We grew up together. I'll always be here for you, Berry-chan."

"I'm sorry I made you wait, Reindeer." Bertholdt said, wrapping his arms around the bulkier man even tighter. "I'm open to a relationship with you… if you're still interested."

"I never lost interest in you." Reiner whispered.

"So, you guys  _do_  like each other?" Connie asked as he came over.

"CO-NNIE!" Sasha yelled.

Historia stayed standing behind the door of Jean's car, smiling at the scene before her. This was another reason she wanted to stay in Maria—these people who she'd come to call friends. Her loneliness had long since vanished, and she didn't want to see it return, ever.

* * *

"Marco!" Jean called as he got closer to said man.

Marco turned and his eyes went wide. "Jean?! What are you doing here?!"

"I came to find you! You can't just leave like that and expect me not to worry! You couldn't have called me and told me you were okay?!"

"Jean, I'm fine. And I'm sorry for not contacting you. But I forgot my phone and I didn't remember your number. I'm a bad boyfriend… I should know your number by heart."

"I don't care about whether you remember my number. Just tell me what you're doing. We have to communicate." Jean said, calming himself. Marco didn't deserve to be yelled at, especially when he was just trying to be a good friend to Bertholdt.

"Sorry for all this trouble."

Jean wrapped his arm around Marco's shoulder and started walking back towards his car, "It's not that big a deal. I accept you for who you are, and if you can't resist your angelic urges, I can't stop you. But just talk to me. You can't try to save the world alone, especially when you have someone who loves you. I could've helped."

"Yeah…" Marco smiled, then kissed Jean's cheek. "You know, you've changed a lot since the first time I met you."

"Don't remind me."

"I'm serious. You care about others, you talk to everyone instead of avoiding them, and you smile a lot more than when we first met. So, I'm glad we met that day." He continued.

"Me too. But I could go a few days without dealing with the crazies we call friends." Jean grinned.

"Do you like it here in Stohess?"

"Not really. It's nice, but I couldn't stay here too long."

"Maybe we could take a trip outside the walls, then?"

"I'd like that. I've never been to the beach. Though, I doubt I'd like it…"

"There they are!" Sasha said when Jean and Marco got back to the car.

Jean noticed Reiner leaning against Bertholdt's car and Bertholdt standing close to him, which made him raise an eyebrow, "You two going back together?" he asked.

"Yeah. Thanks for bringing him." Bertholdt answered.

"Glad to be of service."

"We're going back with you, if that's fine?" Historia said. She was sitting in the back seat of his car with the door open. Connie was sitting in the front seat, though he probably knew he'd have to move for Marco. Sasha was leaning on the car with her chin rested on her arms and a smile on her face.

"So is this where you two will always remember your beginnings?" Connie asked Reiner and Bertholdt. The resulting look of embarrassment, and reddening of Bertholdt's entire face, gave their answer away. Connie shook his head as he got out of the car and then got into the back seat.

"Well, guess we'll see you guys back in Maria. Feel free to follow me." Jean said as he got into his car.

Marco waved at Bertholdt and Reiner as he got into the passenger's seat. "See you guys back home."

"Right. Don't let Jean kill you guys on the way." Reiner said.

Jean flipped him the bird. "Piss off…" he retorted. But deep, deep…  _deep_  down, he found himself a bit intrigued about what was to come in the future. With an amazing boyfriend like Marco in his life, good friends like the ones in the back seat plus Ymir and Jaeger's gang, another couple that was also just figuring things out like he and Marco were that they could talk to, and undergrad coming to an end this semester, he wondered just how much would change for him for the better. Thinking back, he admitted that he never wanted to return to the person he was before that fateful day in Professor Hanji's class.

Life had truly become something enjoyable. No more hiding away in his room playing video games to avoid what he imagined to be not worth his time. Sure, gaming would still be a great factor in his free time, but no longer would it hold him back from opening himself up to the people who apparently wanted to be around him.

After he got into the car, and once they were on the road with Bertholdt following after them, Connie leaned forward and stuck his head between Jean and Marco, "Hey, I never asked you two. When was the first time you got together?"

End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not good with endings or final messages, but regardless, you guys, this has been such an amazing journey. So much fun and such a learning experience. I'm glad I could tell you all such an interesting, entertaining story, even if it wasn't told perfectly eheheh... Still, I love this story and I love my readers as well! Many of you have told me how much you love it, how you read it in one sit-in be it late at night or during the day, how you can relate to it, how you love these dorks, and so on. I enjoy your replies to this story, so don't hesitate to give me anything else you might want to say now that it's finished.
> 
> Also, don't be sad. If you like my writing, you'll be glad to know that even though it may be the end of one tale, a new one is coming out soon (once I'm ready to publish it)! Keep your eyes peeled for Odyssey


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